It seems more and more likely Carmelo Anthony will not sign a contract extension with the Nuggets, which likely will force the team to trade him, perhaps to the Knicks.
ESPN.com reported last night that Anthony is “going to make it real clear that he’s not coming back” to Denver, according to an NBA source.
“Both Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke and Anthony already are well aware that they don’t have a future together, sources say. That became clear to Kroenke at a reception after Anthony’s July 11 (wedding) to La La Vasquez in Manhattan,” the report says.
During the reception, Hornets guard Chris Paul and new Knicks forward Amar’e Stoudemire both mentioned in toasts that Anthony should join the Knicks. Anthony “apparently did nothing to discourage or dismiss the suggestions that he should leave the Nuggets,” the report says.
Anthony, who grew up in Baltimore and played at Syracuse, could return to the East Coast in two ways: He could sign the three-year, $65 million extension the Nuggets have offered, then force the team to trade him. Or he could refuse to sign, leaving the Nuggets to trade him or receive nothing when he becomes a free agent after this season.
Either option could have Anthony in a Knicks uniform at the start of this season, or at the league’s February trade deadline.
The Denver Post reports the Nuggets have maintained they will trade the high-scoring forward rather than lose him for nothing, and ESPN said, around the NBA, “The persistent belief is New York is where he wants to end up.”
According to ESPN, the Knicks could offer Eddy Curry and his expiring contract to the Nuggets, along with players, in a trade.
Last week, Anthony said he had no timetable to sign the extension, a very lucrative deal considering the NBA’s unstable labor situation heading into 2011-12. Other reports had those close to Anthony saying the Knicks are “perfect for him.”
The Nuggets recently fired their basketball operations chief, Mark Warkentien, and could wait to hire front-office personnel before trading Anthony.
ESPN reports Anthony took a liking to Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni during the 2008 Olympics, where D’Antoni was an assistant coach for Team USA.
The Knicks signed only Stoudemire from a 2010 free agent class that included LeBron James and Chris Bosh, who both joined Miami, with their respective teams (Cleveland, Toronto) getting nothing in return.