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Carmelo Anthony Kobe Bryant July 2014

The Los Angeles Lakers hoped to have Kobe Bryant as part of the team's pitch to Carmelo Anthony Thursday in LA. According to ESPN, though, Bryant will not be able to attend the meeting with Melo.

Bryant is coming off his vacation from Europe, and it appears he was running late for the meeting. He won't be able to reach there in time, hence making his visit with Carmelo cancelled.

However, Bryant is good friends with Carmelo, sources say, and he plans to meet with him later in the evening. Melo is scheduled to meet with the New York Knicks in Los Angeles as well today.

The Lakers have their eyes set on both Melo and LeBron James in NBA free agency. They have held off any other signings and coaching hires until they can make their full pitches to the star small forwards.

The Lakers' dream would be to have both team up with Kobe, but it's more likely that they will end up with one or other. Even that possibility is a long shot for the purple and gold.

Anthony has already met with the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks. So far, all signs still point to the star forward making a return to the Knicks.

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