NBA: Carmelo Anthony to Trail Blazers, latest deal details, salary, and debut date

Portland Trail Blazers have confirmed the signing of veteran Carmelo Anthony in a non-guaranteed deal. Anthony, 35, will join the Trail Blazers on their upcoming six-game road trip, which starts Saturday against San Antonio Spurs.

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NBA: Carmelo Anthony Salary terms with Trail Blazers

According to a report, Carmelo Anthony has been signed on a $2.2 million veteran’s minimum deal. Under the NBA rules, because Anthony has more than 10 years of experience, the cap hit the Trail Blazers will take for the deal is only $1.3 million. Anthony has never made so little in his NBA career. When he was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 2003, as the No 3 draft pick, his rookie contract began at $3.2 million. Anthony made a reported $13 million after he signed a post-rookie contract extension in 2007-08. He never made less than an eight-figure salary in any season thereafter.

Anthony, who is 35, last played for Houston Rockets on November 9 of last season. The Rockets waived him after he appeared in only 10 games. The Blazers have protection against paying him should the experiment of adding him to the roster not pan out, because Anthony is not on a guaranteed contract. 

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NBA: Carmelo Anthony's expected debut

Power forward was the position where the Trail Blazers were most vulnerable, and a shoulder injury to Zach Collins only amplified the void there. Carmelo Anthony has been signed to fill that need. He will join with his new side on its upcoming six-game road trip, which begins Sunday in San Antonio and spans nine days. It will take Portland through Houston and New Orleans, then up against Cleveland, Milwaukee and Chicago. Considering the injury crisis, Anthony could make his debut as soon as Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs. 

However, the game against Houston should be interesting for Anthony, who would be itching to perform against his former employers.

As reported by multiple US-based reports, his expected debut could be against San Antonio Spurs, Sunday, November 17, 2019

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NBA: Carmelo Anthony's heyday

Anthony is a 10-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA player. Before his 10-game stint with the Rockets, he played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets, with his greatest success coming with the Knicks and Nuggets.

He is currently No. 19 on the all-time scoring list, with 25,551 points just behind Hall of Famer Alex English, who scored 25,613 points.

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