Four years later it appears Carmelo Anthony will be available again.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are expected to move on from Anthony, according to a report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Anthony, who opted in to his $27.9 million contract for the upcoming season, would have cost the Thunder more than $100 million because of luxury tax implications, so the move is hardly surprising. Anthony struggled in his first and only season with the Thunder, averaging a career-low 16.2 points on 40 percent shooting as the third option to Russell Westbrook and Paul George.
But four years after the Bulls attempted to woo Anthony into signing alongside Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Luol Deng, don't expect a courtship between the two sides.
For starters, Anthony is reportedly interested in signing with a contender. And despite his limitations at 34 years old, he'll have his fair share of suitors. The Rockets are already reportedly interested.
Anthony could be an option in a potential trade, if the Thunder were willing to attach some sort of draft pick compensation to it. But even that seems unlikely.
The Bulls would likely waive Anthony anyway. Yes, he's a fit as a scoring small forward. He's also 34 and plays minimal defense. He's a spot-up shooter at this point in his career, and he's been under 36 percent from 3-point range each of the last four seasons.
It's fun to dream about what would have been in 2014. It didn't happen then, and it won't happen in 2018.