Carmelo Anthony was prepared to retire if the Portland Trail Blazers hadn't offered him a contract last month.

"I was preparin' myself," Anthony told ESPN's Rachel Nichols in a conversation that aired on Tuesday. "And I had prepared myself to kinda just walk away from the game -- if the right situation didn't come about."

Anthony had been looking for a roster spot since his release last November by the Houston Rockets.

"I say that because I know what I can do," Anthony said. "So if I were just to go to a team and to a situation just to be on the team and it didn't work out, it was gonna come back on me anyway. Like, the blame is gonna be on me anyway. So a situation like Portland, where I could just come in and just play my game and have a group of guys that really want me, and the organization that want me.

"There's no better feelin' than when you feel wanted. And I think that's what kinda keeps me motivated and understandin', like, this situation is -- it is and was the best situation for me."