Carmelo Anthony Reveals Near-Miss With Pelicans Superteam, Weighs In on Jayson Tatum’s Return
Carmelo Anthony dropped a fascinating “what if” during the latest episode of 7PM in Brooklyn, his podcast with The Kid Mero. Sitting down with four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, Melo peeled back the curtain on a trade that nearly shifted the league’s power structure back in 2017 - a potential Big Three in New Orleans featuring himself, Cousins, and Anthony Davis.
Let’s rewind. After wrapping up his final season with the New York Knicks in 2017, Anthony was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder, joining forces with Russell Westbrook and Paul George. But according to Melo, that wasn’t the original plan - and maybe not even the best fit.
“That trade to OKC shouldn’t have happened,” Anthony said bluntly. And he wasn’t just being revisionist.
He revealed that the New Orleans Pelicans were seriously in the mix, with talks heating up around the same time. But while Thunder GM Sam Presti was aggressive in building a contender around Westbrook, the Pelicans took a more cautious approach.
That hesitation, along with some contract complications, ultimately derailed the deal.
“New Orleans was not a guaranteed option,” Melo explained. “They couldn’t pull the trigger that fast.”
Still, the interest was real. So real, in fact, that the Pelicans gave Anthony a jersey as part of their recruiting pitch - a symbolic gesture that now feels like a relic from an alternate NBA timeline.
“I did have a Pelicans jersey,” he said with a laugh. “That was the recruiting pitch.”
Imagine it: a frontcourt of Cousins, Davis, and Anthony - three All-Stars with unique skill sets, all in their primes. According to Melo, plenty of people around the league believed that trio could’ve been the antidote to the Golden State Warriors’ dominance.
“Everybody at that time was saying, ‘Oh, they can beat Golden State because of them two,’” he recalled, referring to Cousins and Davis. “That was the conversation.”
And it wasn’t just talk. Cousins was thriving in his first full season in New Orleans, putting up monster numbers and showing real chemistry with Davis. But then came the Achilles tear - a devastating blow that ended Cousins’ season and, in many ways, the Pelicans’ hopes of building something special around that core.
That injury changed everything. The trade never materialized.
Anthony went to OKC. And the Warriors?
They kept rolling.
Melo on Jayson Tatum: “If He Comes Back, It Scares the League”
Fast forward to today, and Carmelo Anthony is still plugged into the league’s biggest storylines. Over All-Star Weekend, the Hall of Famer was asked about Jayson Tatum’s potential return from a torn Achilles - an injury that’s kept the Celtics star sidelined with no clear timetable for his comeback.
Like the rest of us, Melo doesn’t know exactly when Tatum will be back. But he has a feeling it won’t be long.
“And if JT could come back, I think it scares the league,” Anthony said. “Because now you don’t have to really focus on implementing Jayson Tatum back into the actual lineup.”
That’s a key point. With Tatum likely to return on a minutes restriction, the Celtics won’t have to overhaul their offense to accommodate him right away. Instead, they can ease him in - letting Jaylen Brown continue to carry the load while Tatum works his way back into form.
“You can play him and figure out how you really want to implement him into the grand scheme of things,” Melo added. “And still allow Jaylen Brown to continue to lead that team for right now.”
Of course, Anthony also acknowledged the challenge ahead. Coming back from an Achilles injury isn’t just about getting cleared to play - it’s about shaking off the rust and regaining rhythm in real-time, against elite competition.
It’s a delicate balance: the Celtics want Tatum back as soon as possible, but they’ll need to be patient with his reintegration. Still, if Melo’s instincts are right, and Tatum returns before the playoffs, Boston could be getting a major boost at just the right time.
And if that happens? Like Melo said - the rest of the league should be on alert.