According to multiple reports, the New Jersey Nets have been given permission by the Denver Nuggets to meet face-to-face with Carmelo Anthony to discuss his willingness to take his talents to the Garden State. Though following the Nuggets 110-97 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday night, Anthony told reporters that it wasn't anything penciled into his schedule.
"I've never heard about that. That's news to me. I can't talk to them people. The Denver Nuggets still pay me. I haven't talked to anybody -- Masai (Ujiri, Nuggets EVP of basketball operations) or (GM) Josh (Kroenke) or any other teams. So for that speculation to be going around out there like that, that's false."
Potentially more damning to the Nets pursuit of the Nuggets star, Anthony went on to say he wasn't interested in any sort of meeting either.
"I don't want to talk to nobody. I let the front office handle that type of stuff. It ain't my job to be talking to New Jersey, New York, Lakers, Dallas, no one. I still won't step into something like that. I've seen a lot of people go through that..
"For me to sit here and say I want to talk to them or Masai or Josh gave them permission to talk to me, I think that's false. If that was the case I'm pretty sure I would have gotten a phone call."
It is possible that the Nuggets front office has granted permission to the Nets for a meeting, but had yet to talk to Anthony about it. After all, the news broke while Denver was on the floor taking on San Antonio.
There's also a chance that Anthony is unaware that he is allowed to talk with other teams without repercussion if Denver signs off on it.
Or maybe the All Star really has no desire to meet or speak with other teams. If that's the case, this isn't going to end nearly as quickly as it seemed late Sunday night.