What next for Carmelo Anthony?
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If Carmelo Anthony is on his way to New Jersey or New York, he sure didn’t show it.
Anthony seemed indifferent to the mounting trade talks Friday, including a report that the Nets had agreed to trade for the Denver Nuggets’ perennial All-Star.
‘The Nuggets have not called me and said, ‘You know, we are close to a deal in New Jersey,’ or anything like that,’ he said Friday afternoon while speaking to dozens of reporters crammed around a large table at a hotel across the street from Staples Center. ‘The day is still young.’
The reports went every which way. The Bergen (N.J.) Record said the Nets had agreed on a trade with Anthony, pending his approval on a three-year extension worth $65 million. But the New York Daily News reported that the Knicks had met with Anthony on Thursday night and were still trying to work out a deal with the Nuggets.
The Record reported that Anthony and Denver teammates Chauncey Billups, Renaldo Balkman, Melvin Ely and Shelden Williams would be sent to New Jersey for rookie Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, Troy Murphy, Ben Uzoh and four first-round picks.
Anthony, 26, wanted a resolution soon. The trade deadline is Thursday.
‘I’m hopeful something can get resolved,’ he said. ‘The Nuggets have to weigh their options. If it’s a deal with somebody else that’s legit, we all have to talk about it. But time is ticking, man, and time is money.’
Anthony can become a free agent in July.
Some basketball observers weren’t as surprised about Anthony’s possible trade as they were the location of his new team.
‘Charles Barkley was traded. Hakeem [Olajuwon] was in talks before,’ said TNT analyst Kenny Smith. ‘Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was traded. Shaq went through this before. I’d be surprised if he went to a team that was not as good as the one he’s one right now. That’s why the Nets would surprise me.’
--Mike Bresnahan
