Carmelo Anthony's strong early play as a member of the Trail Blazers is paying off for him.
Portland will guarantee Anthony's contract for the remainder of the 2019-20 NBA season, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Thursday, citing NBA sources. The team had until Jan. 7 to make the call, ESPN's Bobby Marks reported.
Marks added that the guarantee will cost Portland just $1.36 million of Anthony's $2.15 million salary; the NBA will reimburse the team for the other $800,000 or so.
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Anthony, 35, has become one of the team's top scoring options after signing a non-guaranteed pact with Portland on Nov. 19. He has averaged 16.9 points in his first eight games (all starts). He is playing 31 minutes per game.
The Blazers are 4-4 with Anthony in the lineup but have won four of their last five games.
Anthony was out of the NBA for 9 1/2 months after being waived by the Bulls on Feb. 1. Chicago had acquired him in a trade with the Rockets. Anthony told ESPN's Rachel Nichols this week that he was prepared to retire if the Trail Blazers hadn't come calling.
