Carmelo Anthony made his final stop on his free agent tour on Thursday by visiting the Los Angeles Lakers in El Segundo.
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In an effort to land Carmelo in free agency, the Lakers went all out on in their sales pitch by bringing in “The Matrix” producer Joel Silver for a video presentation, according to ESPN’s Mike Bresnahan:
Lakers went Hollywood for part of their presentation to Carmelo. Biz team presented a short video done by "The Matrix" producer Joel Silver.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) July 3, 2014
Carmelo met with the Lakers brass for two and half hours on Thursday with Mitch Kupchak and company attempting to convince the superstar Los Angeles is the place to be. Kobe Bryant was unable to make the meeting with his close friend, but plans to catch up with Carmelo later tonight after the perennial All-Star meets with the New York Knicks.
Most believe that Carmelo signing with the Lakers is a long shot at best. Los Angeles has the cap space to pay the superstar more than $20 million per season, but the Knicks can top that offer while adding a fifth year that the Lakers are unable to provide.
Despite Los Angeles being a long shot to land Carmelo, the Lakers brass still brought in the 30-year-old for the Hollywood treatment. It remains to be seen if Silver’s video was enough to impress Anthony before he went to meet with Phil Jackson and company.
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Although there’s been no indication whether the Lakers improved their chances of signing Carmelo, the team appears happy with the pitch due to Anthony’s engagement, according to Bresnahan:
One person in the Lakers' meeting room said Carmelo was "truly engaged in the conversation." Lakers can't predict if he'll sign, though.
— Mike Bresnahan (@Mike_Bresnahan) July 3, 2014
With the Lakers’ pitch now in the rearview, Anthony will meet with the Knicks and then Kobe later tonight. It’ll be interesting to see the results of Jackson’s meeting with the veteran forward and if Kobe can ultimately get Carmelo to lean toward signing with Los Angeles.
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