Should the Pelicans take a chance on Carmelo Anthony?

The New Orleans Pelicans have looked great in preseason so far and are happy with the deep and well-balanced roster they have heading into the regular season.

The Pels had a relatively quiet offseason, as they already had a full roster and didn’t make any major additions outside of the draft even though they were mentioned in a few trade rumors.

They reportedly explored trades for Devonte’ Graham, but nothing ever materialized, so the Pels had a lot of roster stability from last season to this one.

The only real roster “weakness” would be the lack of consistent 3-point shooting off the bench, but Trey Murphy III looks ready to fill that role.

If the Pelicans were inclined to try and add a shooter, there is one still out there who could help in veteran Carmelo Anthony, who is still looking for a job with the regular season just around the corner.

The 38-year-old is looking to start his 20th season in the league, but should the New Orleans Pelicans have any interest?

New Orleans Pelicans: The pros of signing Carmelo Anthony

Melo may be 38-years-old but he can still play, as he averaged 13.3 points per game in 69 appearances for the Lakers last season and hit 37.5 percent of his 3-point shots.

Carmelo Anthony is one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history and will probably be able to get buckets when he’s in his 70’s. He also has big game experience that many of the young Pels lack, and is an icon who could be a great mentor to guys like Trey Murphy III as he evolves into a bigger scoring threat and adds nuance to his game.

Melo would give the Pelicans more size off the bench and a guy who could come in and hit a couple of 3-point shots per game in limited minutes. He’s willing to take a lesser role at this late stage of his career, and would come at a veteran’s minimum.

Sure, Anthony can’t guard anyone, but the Pels have enough defenders off the bench to hide him for short stretches where he could spread defenses and create space.

But there is a flip side.

Of course the Pelicans shouldn’t sign Carmelo Anthony!

Aside from what the Tweet above claims, Carmelo Anthony is not a good defender and that is putting it lightly. Yes, he can still hit jumpers, but that’s pretty much all he can do, and coach Willie Green has made it clear that defense comes first.

From a practical standpoint, the Pelicans would have to waive one of their current guys, as they are already at the 15-player limit. That would likely mean saying goodbye to Naji Marshall, who is much younger, and a much better, more versatile defender than Carmelo ever was.

The Pelicans have plenty of scoring already, so adding a one-dimensional shooter isn’t going to help them as much as having a guy who can defend a couple of positions.

This would also be a blow to the Pelicans chemistry, as this is a team that really likes each other and would not want to see someone shipped out in order to add a guy entering his 20th year in the league.

Anthony does have some big-game experience, but he has never won a ring, and the Pels already have guys like CJ McCollum, Larry Nance Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas taking on leadership roles.

In the end, it’s a nice move if you are playing a video game, but in reality, adding a guy like Carmelo has far more cons than pros, which is why it’s not going to happen.