Blazers agree to retain 10-time All-Star Anthony

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – AUGUST 22: Carmelo Anthony #00 of the Portland Trail Blazers controls the ball against Markieff Morris #88 of the Los Angeles Lakers in the first half in Game Three of the first round of the playoffs between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers at the AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 22, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images/AFP

The Portland Trail Blazers have agreed to re-sign 10-time All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony to a one-year contract for next season, multiple outlets reports Saturday.

Anthony, the NBA’s second-leading active scorer (26,446 career points) behind only close friend LeBron James, will return to Portland for a league-minimum deal, sources told ESPN.

The Blazers and Anthony have been a seamless match since agreeing to a non-guaranteed one-year, $2.16 million contract last November. The veteran forward, who played in just 10 games the previous year in 2018-19 before being released by the Houston Rockets, rejuvenated his career as the third scoring option on the high-octane Trail Blazers behind guards Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.

Last season Anthony, after seeing his scoring average dip in each of his previous three seasons, put up 15.4 points over 58 games (all starts) while recording his best shooting marks (43.0 percent on all field-goal attempts, 38.5 percent on 3-point tries) since his All-Star campaigns with his hometown New York Knicks.

In his previous 17 seasons, Anthony has averaged 23.6 points in his 1,122-game career. The former No. 3 overall draft pick in 2003 has played for the Denver Nuggets, Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Rockets and Blazers. Four of his All-Star appearances came in Denver and six were with New York, where he also won a scoring title by averaging 28.7 points in the 2012-13 season.

Portland has been active already since the start of free agency Friday, trading for center Enes Kanter and forward Robert Covington and also re-signing guard Rodney Hood.

–Field Level Media