Carmelo Anthony getting Closer to a 3 team trade
Thanks to the recruitment of the Detroit Pistons as a third-party facilitator, New Jersey’s longstanding attempts to pry Anthony away from Denver are “further along” than any trade scenario that has been discussed since the Nets’ near acquisition of the All-Star in late September, sources close to the negotiations said Sunday.
Multiple sources with knowledge of the talks expressed optimism Sunday that a three-team deal involving the Pistons featuring at least 15 players — with Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups winding up in New Jersey with Anthony — could be completed in the next day or two.
Anthony
Denver, however, elected to play Anthony and Billups in its home game against New Orleans on Sunday night, suggesting that the Nuggets might not be ready to sign off on the trade and, according to sources, frustrating both the Nets and the Pistons at the end of a chaotic 72 hours.
A similar scenario played out in the September deal, when the Nets and Nuggets hammered out the framework of a four-team swap with Charlotte and Utah, only for the Nuggets to decide that they weren’t ready to end their relationship with Anthony and back out of the deal.
After totaling just eight points on 3-for-11 shooting and looking lethargic throughout the Nuggets’ 96-87 loss — during which he was booed by Denver fans in the second half — Anthony dismissed the idea of a looming deal with New Jersey as “speculation as of right now” and told reporters that he doesn’t think he’s played his last game for the Nuggets.
“Not at all,” Anthony said at his locker when asked if he thought that the New Orleans game was his Nuggets farewell. “Not at all. Not at all. Not at all.”
Anthony was also quick to say his poor performance Sunday had little to do with the swirling rumors.
“I’ve been playing all year long with speculation,” Anthony said following the loss, “so just to say that tonight the speculation bothered me, that’s not even on my mind in a basketball game.”
As of late Sunday night, sources said, New Jersey was poised to receive Anthony, Billups and Hamilton, with Denver landing two future first-round picks and six players. The Nuggets’ haul would feature Nets rookie Derrick Favors, former All-Star guard Devin Harris and Nets sharpshooter Anthony Morrow. In addition, the Nuggets would bring in the New Jersey threesome of Quinton Ross, Ben Uzoh and Stephen Graham included for salary-cap purposes.
Detroit, meanwhile, was to receive Nets big man Johan Petro and the expiring contract of Nets forward Troy Murphy, with the Pistons motivated to join in by the $17-plus million in long-term savings they’d earn by shedding Hamilton’s contract.
But Denver’s decision to play Anthony and Billups against New Orleans and a Bergen Record report Sunday night that the Nuggets want to make unspecified changes to the latest trade layout clearly rankled the Nets.
The Record of New Jersey quoted an unnamed team official within the league as saying: “The deal is close. But Denver is looking to hit a home run.”
Earlier Sunday, one source close to the talks told ESPN.com that Sunday’s proposed trade was “on the 10-yard-line.” Said another source with knowledge of the state of negotiations: “Almost there.”
