Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks. Reggie Miller and the Pacers. Some players are so tied to one franchise that you can’t picture them anywhere else. Their loyalty becomes their legacy, celebrated endlessly by the city they call home. Carmelo Anthony’s journey, though, has always carried a different narrative—often framed around the ‘question of loyalty’, and this time again, the Knicks are right back in the mix of it all.

Remember 2011? The Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes had the NBA on edge. With his Denver deal nearing its end, Melo made it clear he wanted out, and the Nuggets didn’t want to lose him for nothing. His preferred landing spots? The Knicks were at the top, with the Bulls right there too, while the Nets and Rockets lingered in the background. New York went all-in, giving up Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, Danilo Gallinari, plus a pick, to bring him home. And for a while, it felt worth it—Melo lit up MSG with 26 a night and snapped the Knicks’ seven-year playoff drought. But that magic didn’t stick around for long.

The real magic for Carmelo Anthony wasn’t in New York—it showed up in Los Angeles. Talking to CTRL The Narrative, Melo admitted, “New York was more refined and more intellectual, more of a student of the game and thought the game out more so than the physical game.” Then came the surprise: “In all honesty, my best year that I’ve ever had was with the Lakers… when you look at the numbers and the efficiency and field goal percent—we’re in a game of numbers now and analytics, so if you look at analytics, the Lakers year was one of my best years out of 19 seasons.”

On paper, it might look like Melo’s Knicks years were his peak—more points, rebounds, and assists. But the advanced numbers tell a smarter story. With the Lakers, his TS% was .579, PER 14.8, and USG% 22%—he produced efficiently without carrying the entire offense.

In New York, his stats were higher in raw production—PER 21.4, TS% .545, USG% 32.4%—but that came with a heavier workload and more possessions to create. Basically, in L.A., Melo did more with less: smarter shots, better efficiency, and a bigger impact per touch.

Even back in 2010, when he was in Denver, some critics weren’t shy about taking shots at Melo. One ESPN article, bluntly titled “Carmelo Anthony is not an elite player,” claimed he “lives on an undeserved reputation more than his actual impact on wins.” You might think, how? The guy was averaging 24.7 points per game and scoring consistently.

But the journalist insisted the numbers were misleading: “How a shooter gets his points is more meaningful than the raw number itself.” He added that no one in the league took more shots per minute than Melo—not Kobe, not LeBron, not even Kevin Durant—and his .458 FG% in 2009–10 was below league average.

It’s easy to see why Melo would pick the Lakers over Denver or New York. In 2021, he finally teamed up with his co-“Banana Boat” buddy LeBron James on a one-year Lakers deal. He averaged 13.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assists across 69 games, making an impact even in limited time. But here’s the twist—he could’ve joined L.A. a decade earlier, long before that reunion became reality.

The Lakers trade that never happened

Carmelo Anthony almost became a Laker in 2011. Yes, right after the Lakers had just won the 2010 championship, Melo and Nene were reportedly set to join Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. On an iHeart Radio podcast with Dwyane Wade, Anthony spilled the story: “The deal was done with the Lakers. Me and Nene for Lamar Odom and [Andrew] Bynum. That deal was done. I never thought about New York.” Crazy, right? But when the Lakers backed out, Melo’s path suddenly shifted east. “Now it’s like, ‘Oh, y’all don’t want me in the West. You’re gonna send me to the East. Get me to New York.’” And just like that, one of the NBA’s biggest “what-ifs” never happened.

The trade that never was meant Melo to step into a Lakers lineup that was already championship-ready. Can you imagine him hitting shots alongside Kobe and Gasol during their prime? Instead, he landed in New York in February 2011 in a blockbuster deal.

Anthony explained, “The deal never was with New York, the deal was with the New Jersey Nets. George Karl had a deal with Utah behind the scenes for Derrick Favors… he thought he was a Nene-type power forward. So I ended up in New York, but that deal wasn’t supposed to happen.” The Lakers faded as Kobe aged, and Melo’s Knicks years were full of personal scoring highs but no Finals runs—a stark contrast to what could’ve been in L.A.

And if you think that was the only time Melo almost teamed up with a superstar buddy, think again.

Before the Miami Big Three formed, Melo and LeBron James actually had talks about joining forces. “Before the Miami Big Three, there were talks about me and Bron because out of me, him, and D Wade, we were closest,” Anthony shared.

But it never worked out. “We never was all locked in until we started going and getting old,” he added. Melo reflected on their bond, saying, “I think it was because we lost together. We felt the same pain, we felt the same sentiment.” Close friendships, missed opportunities, and NBA what-ifs—Melo’s story proves that even legends sometimes miss the timing.