Carmelo Anthony finally found a job. According to multiple sources including ESPN, the 10-time All-Star forward is signing a non-guaranteed contract with the Portland Trail Blazers.

ESPN's Bobby Marks revealed the deal will pay Anthony about 14,490 U.S. dollars daily. If Anthony is not waived before January 8, the contract will automatically become full-guaranteed.

It has been almost a year since Anthony played in the NBA. Before Thursday, what people heard most about him was that he's till trying to find a team that was willing to take him in. When Brandon Robinson of Heavy.com asked if he still wanted to play in the league, Anthony replied: "2,000 percent. And make that the headline."

We have talked way too much about why Anthony could not find a job. Now that he is 35 years old and has stayed away from professional basketball for so long, why did the Trail Blazers want to land him? What difference could Anthony bring to the Rip City?

Before we answer that, let's take a look at the current status of the Trail Blazers. The team is 4-8 after 12 games and rank No. 13 in the Western Conference, only above the New Orleans Pelicans and the Golden State Warriors. Meanwhile, they have the league's third-highest salaries of 145.8 million U.S. dollars.

There are several reasons behind the team's current unpleasant situation. After a series of trades this summer, Portland no longer had a true small forward. Kent Bazemore has a standard shooting-guard size; Rodney Hood has very little to contribute to help the defense; Mario Hezonja is not reliable in either offense or defense; Anthony Tolliver's 34 years of age and 24.2 percent of 3-point rate means he belongs to the bench.

Zach Collins should have been the team's biggest hope thanks to his size, athleticism and balanced combination of offense and defense, until he underwent surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder. Hassan Whiteside, as always, seems very intimidating with his numbers, but the truth is, when he's on the court, his opponents' enjoy a field goal rate of 68.5 percent.

Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum have always been Rip City's dual core but they have never been known for defense. As a result, the team will have to rely on offense as their last resort in the game. When coach Terry Stotts sends the best scoring squad – Lillard + McCollum + Bazemore + Hood + Whiteside – to the court, their defensive rating is 154.3 (the points the opponents can score per 100 possessions).

The Trail Blazers may get some salary wiggle room next summer, so can they wait? Well, when 29-year-old Lillard dropped 30.5 points, 6.9 assists and made 3.7 3-pointers at a rate of 38.6 percent, it's too cruel to waste his efforts. The team must do something.

Then is Anthony the answer they're looking for?

Definitely not. Anthony's age and size means he should play as a power forward. He may be an okay rebounder, but even at his best, Anthony was not a good defender and that's the biggest difference between him and Dwight Howard. The Los Angeles Lakers want Howard's defense. If he can score, it's a bonus. Anthony does not have that in his game.

The good news is, Anthony still has a complete set of offensive techniques. He can make some contributions via catch-and-shoot. His size and experience may be helpful for tussling with certain posting-up monsters.

Now we can answer the two questions raised at the beginning. Anthony cannot solve Portland's problems but he can help in some other ways. When he was looking for a job, Anthony kept saying that all he wanted is a face-saving goodbye. Now he has a chance, he'd better not let his pride get in the way.