According to Fred Kerber of the New York Post, the only thing preventing the New Jersey Nets from trading for Carmelo Anthony is Anthony's willingness to sign a contract extension in New Jersey.
Foremost, Prokhorov needs assurances from Anthony that he will sign the 3-year, $65-million contract extension Denver has had on the table since June. If Anthony agrees, the Nets and Nuggets would proceed on finalizing a nine-player plus draft picks blockbuster trade that would reshape both rosters.
And the only team that may be able to stop them is the New York Knicks, 'Melo's preferred destination allegedly, if they are willing to part with the package the Nuggets have requested.
'Melo is expected to meet with Nets franchise owner Mikhail Prokhorov this weekend in Los Angeles as the NBA descends for All-Star festivities. But Anthony will also reportedly meet with Knicks franchisee James Dolan. Knicks president Donnie Walsh has been said to be hesitant to mortgage the farm for 'Melo, given that the Nuggets are demanding a mint. (The most recent report included Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Landry Fields, or the Knicks' four best players not named Amar'e Stoudemire.) If Dolan can either convince himself to pull the trigger on such a deal or convince 'Melo to reject the Nets, the Nuggets' deal with New Jersey could fall apart.