Carmelo Anthony
The LA Lakers have a roster spot open which may likely be for Carmelo Anthony. Former New York Knicks Carmelo Anthony attends the game between the New York Knicks and the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden on January 27, 2019 in New York City. Getty Images/Elsa

Carmelo Anthony remains a free agent and critics feel that his chances of returning to the NBA are getting slimmer. However, retired NBA player Brian Scalabrine believes the 35-year-old scoring forward should try playing in the Big3 league of Ice Cube first to show everyone that he still got game. He singles out the case of Joe Johnson who got a workout invite in what may possibly result in an NBA return.

It would be best to take note that Johnson is already 38 but still got an invite to possibly join an NBA team. ESPN reported that 10th overall pick of the 2001 NBA Draft got an invite to work out with the Philadelphia 76ers. But it appears several other teams are also keen on checking him out. That includes the Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets and the New Orleans Pelicans.

And for some reason, the idea of seeing Anthony do the same thing popped up from Scalabrine via The Athletic. He believes that if Melo can unfurl the same dominant performance that Johnson did, he could be getting attention and a workout invite as well.

“If Carmelo was killing the BIG3 it can help him, (but) I think these guys believe it can only hurt them. I think agents think it can only hurt them. But I’m telling you if you’re dominating, the BIG3 you’ll get back in the league.”

Aside from age, it would be best to note that Johnson and Anthony have different playing styles. For one, the seven-time All-Star was never known to be a ball hog. This is one area which pundits feel is hurting Antony's chances of getting a call-up. His inability to share the ball with his teammates would ruin a team's chemistry, thus a reason why some are passing on him.

Regardless, hope still floats on the chances of Anthony to play in the NBA again. He has been in the sidelines since the early part of the 2018-19 NBA season and the closest to linking him to a comeback has come from the rumor mill. Most teams are prioritizing on giving younger players a chance to beef up their rosters. As for Anthony, the frustrating wait continues for the 10-time NBA All-Star.

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