NBA Daily: Finding Vince Carter’s Next Home

There is so much going on in the NBA that frankly, Vince Carter’s next team isn’t exactly the most exciting storyline going on right now. Because of how inspirational it is that a 42-year-old is still pressing forward with his NBA career, though, it’s still worth taking a break from what’s going on in the playoffs and taking a look at where his next stop could be.

What makes this occasion so special is that when he does sign on with someone, next season will be Vince’s 22nd in the NBA, a new record. Impressively, Carter’s is projected to be more than just a fill-in roster spot. He’s still carrying his weight after all these years.

Any interested party is going to get its money’s worth if they bring in Carter, who missed only six games this past season and scored 7.4 points on 42/39/71 splits while averaging 17.5 minutes per game. Not quite at the level of peak “Vinsanity,” but for 42 years old, the veteran has shown that he’s still got plenty of basketball left in him.

Where he wants to go is anyone’s guess. Vince has bounced around in the past couple of seasons. With his career on its last legs, he astoundingly hasn’t opted for riding anyone’s coattails for a shot at a ring. At least not since his days in Memphis ended. Instead, he’s chosen to be more of a mentor for young teams looking to achieve their potential.

This pathway has garnered a lot of praise for Vince. Both Sacramento and Atlanta have praised the impact he’s had on teaching the young players. It looks as though it’s actually getting these teams results. The Kings had their best season in over a decade and Atlanta in a year’s time became one of the league’s most entertaining young teams. He’s not solely responsible for turning things around, but their success indicates that he was worth every penny.

As great as it’s been to see Vince is using his final years to influence the league’s next generation of stars, no one would blame him if he went and joined a contender.

Mentoring A Young Team

Any young and rebuilding team could use a veteran presence to steer itself in the right direction. Vince Carter has proven himself to be as such. In the past two seasons, Vince has proven his worth as a mentor for young teams from his time with the Kings and Hawks.

There are several teams that could use a guy like Vince to guide its youth and stabilize itself in the long-term.

Cleveland

The Cavaliers have pretty much done everything right since LeBron departed again. They’ve accumulated assets and are bound to get a high pick in this season’s lottery. It’s going to be a long journey for them to return to relevance, but they’ve been smart in their rebuilding process.

Adding Vince would be another step in the right direction. Since Channing Frye is retiring this season, Carter would step in for him as the grizzled veteran that the young team would look up to. Let’s be honest: Cleveland hasn’t been the most stable situation in the past two decades with teams minus LeBron. So, seeing them turn a new corner by adding a guy like Vince could change a lot for the better.

Phoenix

Never mind that Carter spent a half season in the desert eight years ago. The Suns haven’t exactly proven to be the most well-run franchise. Now that they’ve hired Monty Williams to run the show, they could definitely use the veteran leadership that Vince has.

To be fair they already had that in Tyson Chandler and Jared Dudley for the last couple of years. The difference between them and Carter is that he probably wouldn’t cost $80+ million. Vince isn’t the same player the Suns acquired back in 2011, but he can help turn things around for a franchise still looking for its first playoff berth since even before Carter had come aboard.

Atlanta

Who’s to say his time in the ATL is done? Carter has gone on record talking about how strongly he embraced the mentor role he had with the team. Staying with the Hawks would save him the time and effort of having to move.

Carter has a rapport with this team, and it would be fun to have him aboard as the team grows even more in the second year of the Trae Young-John Collins era. Atlanta could surprise a lot of people next season. Having Vince along for the ride would make their story all the better.

New York would also be nice, but their status for where they are as a team could drastically change if their plans to bring in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving/Kemba Walker come to fruition. If that does happen, they could still get him. The reason why would just be a little different, which leads us to the next option for Vince.

Going For The Ring

All hell could break loose this summer. So many of the teams regarded as contenders could lose that label if their best player(s) go elsewhere. Golden State, Toronto, Boston and Philadelphia have so much to lose this summer. If they lose their best players, then they don’t really have the title of contender anymore.

With that in mind, it’s hard to say for sure who fits the bill. Besides, as stated before, Carter can bring three-point shooting to anyone who could use it. Even his veteran leadership could be a nice asset to have. Even the best teams suffer turmoil. Having Carter can help them press forward so they can live up to expectations. A few of these contenders could use a guy like him.

Houston

The Rockets will be looking for all the help they can get this summer. Carter would be a cheap addition all things considered and would fill in admirably in a hypothetical void potentially left by Gerald Green this summer.

The Rockets rely on their three-point shooting a lot to generate their offense. Carter at the very least would not take much away from them. Houston kind of struggled with bench depth this season, so getting a guy as proven as Carter would at least put a proven rotation player on their roster. There is a chance he may be nothing more than another Joe Johnson circa-2018, but Houston doesn’t exactly have a plethora of options and their clock is ticking. Taking a flyer on Vince couldn’t do that much harm.

Milwaukee

Much like the Rockets, the Bucks rely on their three-point shooting in order for their offense to function fully, as they put up the second-most three-point attempts this season. Now that the team has hit its stride, getting another three-point shooter and a veteran presence like Vince Carter.

Even if he wouldn’t play much, Vince could definitely guide the still-relatively young team as they enter this new era of dominance with Giannis at the forefront. The team already showed its desire for veteran leadership with Pau Gasol. Carter can not only do what Gasol does in that department, but he also can also do a little more of what Milwaukee wants on the floor.

Philadelphia

Call it cheating, but Philly would still be in a good place even if both Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris both leave. Carter would provide apt floor spacing that the team relies on to help both Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.

The Sixers have a ton of wing depth this season. If they continue to have this much success because of it, they are bound to lose some of that depth. James Ennis III and Mike Scott are playing fantastic on the biggest stage of professional basketball. If they get richer offers than the Sixers can afford, then Carter would at least help in the floor spacing department. He’s not the sexiest option there, but he’s shown enough that he is at least an option.

Nostalgia

There were exactly two teams that Vince spent his prime with – the Raptors and the Nets. He may not have achieved much playoff success with either franchise but he still left his mark there. Going back to either of those teams can bring back some of the good times.

Toronto

This reunion has been rumored for years on end now. Vince’s time as a Raptor did not have a happy ending. Almost 15 years later, time has passed, hearts have mended and Toronto appears to have been on good terms with Vince for the past few years. It would be fitting if Vince ended his career where it all started.

With what’s at stake this summer, adding Vince Carter would be a winning scenario for the Raptors either way. If Kawhi Leonard stays, then Vince gets to play on a great Raptors team aiming to go to the NBA Finals. If Kawhi leaves, then bringing Vince Carter can remind both the franchise and the fans of the good old days as the franchise transitions to its next era.

Brooklyn

You know what’s weird? In two months, it will have been ten years since the Nets traded Carter to the Magic. The nostalgic feelings aren’t nearly as strong since Carter only spent nearly five years there, and the franchise has since moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn.

It still would be an appealing reunion because Brooklyn had a lot of good veterans in the locker room this season. The likes of Jared Dudley and Ed Davis definitely had a huge impact on the game. If those guys leave, Carter would add both nostalgia and a veteran presence to a team that has developed an excellent culture of winning.

Orlando would be put here but he was only with the Magic for a season-and-a-half and just as he was coming out of his prime.

This may sound anti-climactic but, Vince Carter is free to do whatever he wants. Besides staying in the game, there’s really not much else to prove at this point. After starring in one of the most infamous fallouts a basketball star has ever had with his franchise, Vince has molded himself into one of the league’s most well-liked teammates. By doing this, he’s redeemed himself for his earlier mishaps.

Because of that, no matter where Half-Man, Half-Amazing goes, there’s no wrong answer.