With the start of the 2019-20 season rapidly approaching, veteran forward Carmelo Anthony still doesn’t have an NBA home, but his representatives are working to change that. 

According to a report from Sean Deveney of heavy.com, Anthony’s reps are “aggressively” fighting back against negative perceptions that exist throughout the league’s landscape that have prevented Anthony from landing a job. In addition to claiming that Anthony was a scapegoat in each of his last three stops in the league, Anthony’s camp is also pitching him as a solid media buffer to potentially interested suitors. 

From Deveney: 

[Anthony’s] representatives are fighting the perception that Anthony can no longer be a functional team player, that his scorer’s mentality and past complaints about his roles make him a net negative for any team with high aspirations… According to league sources, his representatives are fighting that perception, “aggressively.”

“He has been the scapegoat for a few teams that didn’t play up to their potential,” one source said. “Obviously that is sticking with him. They’re showing teams he can play, but they’re also making the case that the negative reputation stuff is BS, that he is not a team-killer, that other people put blame on him the last few years that he didn’t deserve.” 

…

The second leg of the pitch Anthony is making to teams could prove to be appealing when it comes to those concerned that Anthony would be a locker-room distraction: He’s a good distraction.

“That’s the idea,” the source said. “He’s got a lot of friends in the league, he is liked by other players. He’s got friends in the media. He doesn’t get into trouble off the court, he never has. They’re really disputing this whole idea that he’s a team cancer.” 

Anthony, who last played in an NBA game as a member of the Houston Rockets on Nov. 8, wants another shot in the league and has said that he is willing to accept any role.

“I know I can still play,” Anthony said last month. “My peers know I can still play. I don’t think it’s about basketball anymore. I think it’s about me as a person willing to accept certain roles on basketball teams. Am I willing to accept a certain role on a basketball team? Yes.”  

While Anthony’s days as an All-Star-caliber player are certainly behind him, he can still score, and could potentially contribute to a team in a reserve role. He’s clearly not yet ready to call it a career, so it will simply be a matter of if any team decides to give him one more opportunity.