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Report: Trail Blazers sign Carmelo Anthony to non-guaranteed deal

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After over a year in the basketball wilderness, Carmelo Anthony has found a home in the NBA. The Portland Trail Blazers have signed the 10-time All-Star forward to a non-guaranteed contract, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports.

Anthony last appeared with the Houston Rockets for a brief stint early in the 2018-19 season. After averaging 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds through his first 10 appearances with Houston, the team decided to part ways with the future Hall of Famer.

Although the 35-year-old stayed away from the team, Anthony remained on the Rockets' roster until he was traded to the Chicago Bulls in January as part of a salary dump. The Bulls waived Anthony in February without him appearing in a game for the team.

Overall, Anthony has averaged 24 points per contest on a 48.2% effective field-goal percentage for his career, primarily as a member of the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks.

The signing comes in the midst of the Trail Blazers' disastrous start to the season. The team has posted a record of just 4-8, which ranks 13th in the competitive Western Conference.

According to Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes, the Trail Blazers informed star point guard Damian Lillard of the possibility of adding Anthony on Wednesday night. Lillard was supportive of the move.

The team has an immediate need at power forward. Zach Collins, who logged 56% of his minutes at the four-spot through the team's first three games, according to Cleaning the Glass, is out for at least four months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn left labrum. Portland outscored opponents by 13.1 points per 100 possessions in 86 minutes with Collins on the floor. However, in 495 minutes without Collins in the game this season, Portland has been outscored by 3.6 points per 100 possessions.

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