Carmelo Anthony, one of the all-time great scorers in NBA history, has been elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, according to ESPN. His legacy is defined by his time with the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks, but there’s a fun little footnote that ties him to the Chicago Bulls—a 10-day stint that fans won’t soon forget.
Anthony never actually played for the Bulls during those 10 days, but his name will be in the franchise’s record books forever. And if you thought that was the only Bulls connection, think again—there was almost another chance for Melo to wear the red and black.
The 10 Days Carmelo Anthony Was Technically a Bull
January 22, 2019, Carmelo Anthony became a Chicago Bull—but only on paper. The Bulls acquired Anthony, the draft rights to Jon Diebler and cash considerations from the Houston Rockets for the draft rights to Tadija Dragićević. Just 10 days later, February 1, Anthony was waived and his Bulls career was over before he ever stepped on the court.
Though his time with the Bulls was brief, it adds an interesting chapter to his career. In 19 seasons, Anthony averaged 22.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 44.7% FG, 35.5% 3PT. With 28,289 career points , he’s 10th on the all-time scoring list.
What Could Have Been: Carmelo Almost Joined the Bulls in 2011
On the 2024 episode of The Why with Dwyane Wade podcast, Anthony talked about a near-trade that could have changed NBA history. In 2011, the Bulls—led by MVP Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah—just got out of the Eastern Conference Finals. They were one of the teams in the mix to get Anthony from the Denver Nuggets.
Anthony said the Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and then-New Jersey Nets were all in the hunt. But the New York Knicks swooped in with a big trade involving Chauncey Billups, Anthony Carter, Renaldo Balkman, Shelden Williams, Corey Brewer, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, Eddy Curry, Anthony Randolph and Kosta Koufos.
Imagine if the Bulls had gotten Anthony. He would have paired with Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah at their peaks and it would have been a dynasty in Chicago. Instead, Melo ended up in New York and became a Knick icon.
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