Carmelo Anthony To LA Lakers Still Possible Despite Kobe Bryant's Lucrative Two-Year Extension

The Los Angeles Lakers are still in a good position to lure Carmelo Anthony to Hollywood once the New York Knicks superstar becomes a free agent next summer.

The Lakers signed Kobe Bryant to a lucrative two-year extension worth $48.5 million this week, but Bryant said that despite his contract extension, the Lakers are still capable of signing a big-name free agent to a max contract in the offseason, which will put the Lakers in better position to contend for the NBA title.

"Yeah, we have the opportunity to do that," Bryant said when asked about the possibility of adding another max player in a New York Post interview. "I don't know even know legally what I can say and not say about pending free agents and things like that, so I'll kind of stay away from that, but we have the ability to do something special. We have to see what happens."

Anthony, who already expressed his desire to test free agency after this season, is reportedly the top free agent target of the Lakers. The possibility of Anthony bolting out of New York is becoming more likely due to the current struggles of the Knicks, which currently hold a dismal 3-11 record.

When asked if he envisions himself contending for a title with Bryant in a Lakers uniform, Anthony said that free agents like him will have to wait and see whether Bryant still has a lot left in him once he returns from the Achilles tendon injury.

"I mean you'll have to see. It's hard to gauge at this point, not until he comes back (from his April Achilles tendon tear) and figures some things out. So I don't know. They might have some plans up their sleeve," Anthony said in an interview with Sam Amick of USA Today.

Current Lakers forward Shawne Williams, who played with Anthony in New York during the 2010-11 season, believes that Bryant and Anthony will eventually decide to hookup next season.

"I can imagine 'cause I believe that he's one of Kobe's good friends," Williams said. "And I believe that Melo is one them guys that probably needs Kobe. Just the mentality, just to rub off on him, because Kobe has a crazy mentality and a crazy work ethic. I feel like Melo probably needs that."