Portland Trail Blazers NBA Trade and Roster Rumors: McCollum, Lillard Recruiting Carmelo Anthony to Join Blazers
Respected National Basketball Association (NBA) insider Adrian Wojnarowski might have already reported that Carmelo Anthony didn't want to include the Portland Trail Blazers in the list of teams for which he would waive his no-trade clause, but that's not going to stop them from recruiting him.
Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum recently told The Oregonian that they have reached out to Anthony to persuade the 10-time All-Star to join them in Portland.
Anthony prefers to join either the Houston Rockets or the Cleveland Cavaliers, but McCollum believes the forward is interested in the Blazers as well.
"He can help us a lot; we can help him. He wants to play in the playoffs and be competitive. He's a very talented player. I think if we get him — when we get him — I think (we're) top three in the West easy," McCollum said, according to The Oregonian.
McCollum has been the Blazers' most vocal recruiter in the past few days, but Lillard also did his part and he spoke with Anthony to tell him they would love to have him in Portland.
"I don't see why I wouldn't reach out to him and let him know the interest is mutual if he's interested in us," he said, via The Oregonian.
Lillard thinks the Blazers can compete with the likes of the Golden State Warriors if they get Anthony, but Draymond Green seems to think otherwise.
The Blazers will become a much better team on the offensive end of the floor if they add Anthony. However, it's not going to be easy to go deeper in the playoffs in the loaded Western Conference. In any case, it's going to be fun to see Anthony, Lillard and McCollum playing together.
Anthony may not be interested in joining the Blazers earlier this week. But who knows, maybe McCollum and Lillard can persuade him to join them.