Carmelo Anthony still has not been traded to the New Jersey Nets, leading to speculation about what exactly the Denver Nuggets are waiting for. We may have an answer: Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that Nuggets execs were angered by the Nets leaking details to the media, and told them to keep their mouths shut or (wait for it) Denver would bring the New York Knicks back into the trade talks.
Carmelo Anthony Trade Stalls As Nuggets Reportedly Threaten To Bring Knicks Into Talks
Indeed, the tone of the discussions between the Nuggets and Nets dramatically changed on Monday. Executives went underground with talks, and several agents were frustrated they could no longer get information from the two teams about where the talks stood. Sources still believed the Nets and Nuggets had the framework of a deal, but the talks had retreated from what one source deemed “really close” on Sunday.
The acrimony between the Nuggets and Nets over leaks and the trade negotiation’s turtle pace won’t change the fact that New Jersey’s package is far better than anything the Knicks can offer. ESPN’s Marc Stein backs up the report that the Nuggets have tried to tamp down the public nature of the talks; unfortunately, it is hard to repair a pipe with many leaks without taking the pipe out completely.
The Al Harrington sticking point -- the Nuggets want to lose him, no one else will touch his contract -- remains just that, a sticking point. While other teams might line up to tell Denver they'll take Harrington in order to grab 'Melo, none of those teams will be able to offer a young prospect like Derrick Favors or the number of picks New Jersey has made available. As such, the Nuggets' threat can't be taken entirely seriously.
Still, with a relatively unknown pair -- first-time GM Masai Ujiri and new owner Josh Kroenke -- at the helm in Denver, it’s hard to know exactly what to expect. Stay tuned (by following our Carmelo Anthony trade StoryStream.)
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