Where Will Superstar Carmelo Anthony Land?
The Nuggets hopes of re-signing star Carmelo Anthony is slowly fading away as front office personnel have told NBA-Draft.com Denver is now listening to trade offers. Some sources say that Anthony could be traded as early as next month or as late as February, but the team is being cautious not to end up like Cleveland or Toronto; the two franchises were decimated by their losses this offseason, getting little, if any, help in return for LeBron James or Chris Bosh. Denver's best chance at getting the most for Melo is to trade him before the start of training camp.
While the Nuggets are not actively shopping Anthony, they are indeed listening to teams' pitches, and the New Jersey Nets are making the hardest push for the seven-year forward. Several front office personnel have told us that the Nets have offered Derrick Favors, Troy Murphy, Kris Humpries and a future 1st Round pick. This Anthony-to-New Jersey deal makes sense on a number of levels: Denver would keep him from going to a Western Conference team, they will net young talent (Derrick Favors + future 1st Round pick) and cap relief with expiring contracts (Troy Murphy and Kris Humphries), Anthony has also expressed a willingness to work out a long-term contract with the Nets. The one question is why would Anthony want to go to the Nets? They are coming off one of the worst seasons in NBA history and did not sign a max free agent. They would also give up their top draft pick in the 2010 NBA Draft (Derrick Favors) to land Melo.
Even as New Jersey remains the frontrunner at this moment, New York, Chicago, Houston and the Clippers all remain contenders for Carmelo Anthony. Anthony does have some say in where he will be headed as his new destination will need him to sign off on a contract extension prior to the trade instead of being a potential one-year loan.
A day after we reported that the Nets emerged as the front-runner in a potential trade for the Nuggets' forward Carmelo Anthony, front office personnel has told NBA-Draft.com that Anthony's camp is still making a push for the New York Knicks or Chicago Bulls. Agent Leon Rose has been pushing for a trade this week to one of his client's preferred destinations, but Denver has been hesitant because New Jersey may be offering the best package for the seven-year forward. Chicago is reluctant to include Joakim Noah and the Knicks just don't have the future draft picks that Denver is looking to acquire.
Meanwhile, new General Manager Masai Ujiri may make one last push at retaining Carmelo Anthony. Earlier this week, Ujiri has been noted as telling interested teams for the first time that they are willing to listen to offers for Anthony after resisting since June.
Without Noah in the deal, the Bulls sit as Denver's #2 preference for trading partner, behind the New Jersey Nets. Chicago has offered a package featuring forward Luol Deng, Taj Gibson and a future-1st Round pick. New York has been rumored to have offered Eddy Curry's expiring contract and either young forward Danilo Gallinari or Anthony Randolph, but not both. However, the Knicks lack the draft picks to add to this package. The Houston Rockets are the fourth team in the Anthony discussions, however, due to the team's reluctance to include guard Kevin Martin and Denver's hesitant to send Anthony to a Western Conference team.
By Corey Ruff - 9-22-10
