A day ago the Carmelo Anthony sweepstakes seemed to be heading to a conclusion that would place ’Melo with the New Jersey Nets. Now, like the ending to any good book, the final chapter has suddenly seen all sorts of plot twists that threaten to blow up the entire enterprise.
There are threats from the Denver Nuggets to trade Anthony to the New York Knicks if the Nets don’t shut up. There are the Houston Rockets making a last-minute bid to get Anthony. There is a stumbling block because the Nuggets want to add at least one more player in an effort to shed more salary.
Here is a look around the Inter-Google at what is currently being reported about the situation.
Here Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports on those threats by the Nuggets:
Before resuming trade talks for Carmelo Anthony(notes) on Monday, the Denver Nuggets delivered a stern warning to the New Jersey Nets: Unless the public nature of these trade discussions becomes private, be warned that we will send Anthony to the New York Knicks.
Nothing else the Nuggets could’ve said would send such chills of unease through the Nets, and that’s why Denver made the threat, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
Would the Nuggets do such a thing out of spite? Would they take a lesser package out of vengeance? No one could be sure, but it sure delivered one more element of drama and intrigue to these trade talks.
The Nuggets also apparently want to add Al Harrington to the already massive 13-player deal that had been on the table.
The Nets and Detroit Pistons, according to sources close to the situation, both believed for much of the weekend that they were on the verge of completing a three-team deal with Denver featuring at least 13 players and headlined by Anthony.
Finally, there are reports that the Rockets might be making a play to grab Anthony out from under the Nets.
While the Rockets don’t have a franchise talent like New Jersey’s Derrick Favors, they can offer cap relief in the expiring contract of Yao Ming ($17.7 million), Shane Battier ($7.4 million) and Jared Jeffries ($6.9 million), as well young talent like leading scorer Kevin Martin or Aaron Brooks, the NBA’s 2009-10 Most Improved Player. Houston also has the right to swap draft picks with the Knicks in 2011 and it owns New York’s pick outright in 2012.
It is unclear if Anthony would be willing to sign an extension with Houston or if the Rockets are willing to make a deal for Anthony without the extension.
Stay tuned. This Melo-Drama has not yet reached its conclusion, and what that will be is still anybody’s guess.