LOS ANGELES — Take it or leave it, Denver.
League sources said the Knicks, still feeling good they can complete a trade for Carmelo Anthony, would not budge yesterday, feeling adding anything more to their offer would be overpayment. The Nuggets, however, want rookie center Timofey Mozgov added to the package, but it isn’t a deal-breaker.
As it stands, the Knicks would send point guard Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, and a 2014 first-round pick to the Nuggets. They would also send Eddy Curry, Anthony Randolph and $3 million to Minnesota, who would send Corey Brewer and either Memphis or Utah’s 2011 first-round pick to Denver. The Knicks would receive Anthony, Chauncey Billups and non-rotation players Shelden Williams and Anthony Carter.
Their final offer remained on the table last night for Denver to accept or not by Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. The Nuggets have threatened to turn to the Nets and try to bluff Anthony into signing there. The Knicks hoped the Melo-drama would conclude by today, after All-Star weekend, because they didn’t want to return to practice with a pending deal hanging over their heads.
According to a person familiar with the holdup, it will come down to whether Denver caves and allows Anthony to make the decision and choose the Knicks, or if the Nuggets decide to make the call.
The Knicks’ fear is the Nuggets could decide to turn down their offer and tell Anthony to either sign a contract extension with the Nets, re-sign with Denver or risk free agency. A league source believes Anthony is “petrified” of free agency, so there was concern among the Knicks he would fall for Denver’s possible bluff.
The Knicks’ offer is sweet, but not as large as Denver’s original asking price. The Nuggets also wanted rookies Landry Fields and Mozgov plus two first-round picks, according to a source.
Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who met with Anthony on Saturday, said in an interview posted yesterday on CNBC’s website that he doesn’t regret remaining in the mix for Anthony.
“I think we made a very good tactical decision to force [the] Knicks to pay as much as they can,” he told CNBC. “So it’s very good, it’s very interesting, it’s very competitive.”
If the Knicks lose out on Anthony, they felt comfortable they took their best shot and that, in the end, Denver never wanted to place Anthony on the big stage of Madison Square Garden.
If Denver turned down the Knicks’ deal, the Knicks plan to spend their cap money on a big center, with Tyson Chandler and Marc Gasol top targets to balance out the roster.
Knicks owner James Dolan and team president Donnie Walsh felt a trade for Anthony could lead to acquiring the superstar point guard that would give them an All-Star trio. Chris Paul, represented by Anthony’s CAA agency, and Deron Williams, will be free agents in 2012. Of course, by then Walsh and coach Mike D’Antoni, who has just next season left on his pact, might not be around. D’Antoni cares more about this season.
Denver believes the Nets’ offer, which includes four first-round draft picks and Derrick Favors, is superior to the Knicks’ proposal. The Knicks were shocked by the Nuggets’ initial request, feeling Denver’s outlandish demand meant it didn’t want to really hatch a deal.
The Knicks can envision a starting lineup in which Anthony replaces Gallinari at small forward and Billups takes over for Felton at point guard. During the World Championships last summer, at which D’Antoni was an assistant coach and the U.S. team ran his speedball offense, Billups excelled.
marc.berman@nypost.com