Carmelo Anthony has told the Denver Nuggets that the only way he will sign a contract extension is if he is traded to the New York Knicks. According to ESPN a source, whom they spoke with after Denver’s loss to the Knicks today, has confirmed that Anthony informed the Nuggets of his desire to be traded specifically to the Knicks.
The source, using the most definitive language possible, confirmed what has been widely speculated around the NBA over the past two months as Anthony has been at the center of trade talks involving numerous teams.
The source spoke to ESPN.com after Denver’s 129-125 loss to New York on Sunday afternoon as the Knicks won their eighth straight game.
Anthony was again coy in discussing his future, but he did move the needle somewhat in making a prediction that the Nuggets will not trade him to a destination that is not on his wish list.
“I don’t think so. I don’t think that will happen,” Anthony said.
- Asked why he would make such a definitive statement, Anthony demurred “I don’t want to answer that. I don’t want to talk about that.”*
Ken Berger of CBS Sports talks about the recent offers by New Jersey and New York:
Anthony does not have a no-trade clause in his contract, but has a certain amount of leverage to dictate the outcome because the Nuggets would obtain far fewer assets from a team Anthony won’t extend with. For example, the best straight-up offer for Anthony that Denver has received so far — Derrick Favors, Troy Murphy and two first-round picks — has always been contingent on Anthony signing an extension to trigger the deal. Without having Melo under contract beyond this season, such an offer would be pulled off the table.
Enter the Knicks, whose assets and lack of quality first-round picks have not impressed the Nuggets’ brass, according to sources. In fact, even if the Knicks were able to parlay Anthony Randolph into a first-round pick in a separate trade, sources tell CBSSports.com that it wouldn’t make a difference from Denver’s standpoint.
But if Anthony is successul in his effort to orchestrate a trade to the Knicks, the Nuggets would have no choice but to engage in discussions or risk losing Anthony as a free agent after the season, when he can opt out of his $18.5 million contract for the 2011-12 season.
*“My mind is not made up,” Anthony said after completing his first full-speed drills after missing two games leading up to Sunday’s noon ET tipoff against the Knicks, one of his suitors via a trade or free agency – whichever comes first. “My mind is just to focus on this game [Sunday]; that’s really all I’m focused on right now. My mind is not made up. Where that’s coming from, I don’t know. But my mind is not made up.” *
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Three times Anthony said it, perhaps to drive home the point that he hasn’t mentally checked out on Denver. Not yet, anyway. After the interview scrum at the Reebok Sports Club broke up, he told CBSSports.com that this was the precise message he delivered to Denver management about a week ago. With 2 1-2 months to go before the Feb. 24 trade deadline, Anthony said he told Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri and executive Josh Kroenke that he hasn’t ruled out signing a three-year, $65 million extension offer that has been on the table since the spring. *
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“I met with them last week and I told them I’d think about it,” Melo said. “Which is more than I’ve said. We’ll see. We’ve been having a lot of great conversations.”*
This obviously puts the Nuggets in a terrible spot as they are now definitively assured that re-signing with the team is not in Anthony’s plans and if they let him hit the free-agent market they stand to lose him for nothing.
New Jersey was apparently holding out hope that their trade proposal of Troy Murphy, Derrick Favors, and two #1 picks would be enough but if Anthony isn’t willing to sign an extension he would be a half-year rental.
I’m sure we’ll hear more in the coming days.