Nuggets trade 'Melo to Knicks
All-Star opponents Sunday, Amar'e Stoudemire (left) and Carmelo Anthony are teammates now.
NewsCore
NEW YORK
Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony was finally traded to the New York Knicks late Monday, according to multiple reports.
You're not a big deal
The Knicks did not address their fatal flaw in trading for Carmelo Anthony, Charley Rosen says.The mega-deal, which ends a saga that has lasted months, can't be finalized until Tuesday during a conference call with the NBA office. Assuming it goes through, it puts Anthony alongside Amare Stoudemire in a potentially explosive frontcourt — at a heavy cost to the Knicks.
Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari and Mozgov will go to the Nuggets, along with the Knicks' 2014 first-round draft pick, the Warriors' 2012 and 2013 second-round picks and $3 million, according to the Denver Post, which first reported the deal.
As well as obtaining the four-time All-Star, the Knicks will get Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter and Renaldo Balkman.
ESPN later reported it was a three-way deal with Minnesota, which would acquire Eddy Curry and Anthony Randolph from the Knicks for Corey Brewer.
"I'm glad it's over," Nuggets coach George Karl told the Denver Post.
"I'm glad it's an opportunity to reinvent. I think everybody handled it as classy as you could handle it. There's some sadness to it, there always will be."
Asked about the players he had obtained in the trade, Karl said: "I think they play exciting basketball. They are exciting young players.
"How we rebuild our team and construct it, there are going to be some tough moments, but I think it will be fun to see how fast this team will come together.
"My hope and desire is to continue to be a playoff team."
The Nuggets have explored an Anthony trade since he refused to sign the three-year contract extension worth nearly $65 million they offered him last summer. They appeared on the verge of sending him to the New Jersey Nets on multiple occasions, and initially preferred the Nets' offer for Anthony, Yahoo! Sports reported. That deal centered around rookie forward Derrick Favors and four first-round picks, but Anthony was unwilling to sign with New Jersey.
The Knicks then increased their offer enough to land Anthony, who was believed to prefer New York all along. The Knicks hope Anthony could be in uniform Wednesday when they host the Milwaukee Bucks.
As for the Nets, earlier Monday, the New York Post reported the Nets had already devised a plan for if they did not land Anthony.
A source close to the situation confirmed discussions, initially reported by ESPN The Magazine, in which the Nets would trade a pair of first-round picks to the Nuggets for two players Denver acquired from the Knicks: Russian center Mozgov and Italian forward Gallinari.
The Knicks had resisted including Mozgov in the trade with Denver, but relented Monday. Now the Nets are set to swoop in with their other offer.
By obtaining Gallinari and Mozgov, the Nets would further enhance the global image that is so important to Russian owner Prokhorov. They already have Sasha Vujacic (Slovenia) and Johan Petro (France) on the roster.
But the headliner is undoubtedly Anthony.
He led the Nuggets to the playoffs in each of his first seven seasons in Denver after winning a national title at Syracuse as a freshman and had them positioned for another playoff run this year. But Denver advanced out of the first round just once in that time.
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