Report: Lakers putting contract talks with Carmelo Anthony on hold

The Los Angeles Lakers have consistently been linked to Carmelo Anthony since the veteran parted ways with the Houston Rockets, but they may decide not to sign him if they continue to fade from playoff contention.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Lakers have put their contract talks with Anthony on hold and likely will not sign him unless they make a postseason push. The Lakers had been planning to sign Anthony, but both sides began wondering if a deal makes sense after LA lost four of its past five games and is in real danger of not making the playoffs.

One of the reasons the Lakers have been mentioned as the favorites to sign Anthony is because Carmelo and LeBron James are close, but the 34-year-old still wants to play for a contender. LeBron has long been pushing to team up with Anthony, but the Lakers would only be interested in him in the short term.

Of course, Anthony probably doesn’t have many suitors. He appeared in just 10 games with the Rockets before being traded to the Chicago Bulls for financial reasons, and he has been a free agent for more than a month. There has been some speculation that Anthony’s NBA career could be over.