Carmelo Anthony Wants Either Chicago or New York: Would Melo Cost Joakim Noah?

Just when we thought the days of "sources" and "according to someone's gramma" were over, here we are again throwing rumors and gossip at you without a name to support them.

Well, an NBA source with knowledge of Carmelo Anthony's wishes told Yahoo! Sports, who told John, who sent a note to Ed, who used his tin can phone to tell Pat, who whispered it to me, said Anthony still hopes to persuade the Denver Nuggets to trade him, preferably to the Chicago Bulls or New York Knicks. 

The Knicks do not have much to offer the Nuggets in terms of assets, however, the Bulls do.

It will be a race between the Bulls being able to make a trade before Anthony goes to free agency next year.

Bulls can offer Luol Deng as a replacement small forward for Anthony, along with young forwards James Johnson and Taj Gibson and, of course, draft picks.

A source has said the Bulls are even discussing internally a deal which would include Joakim Noah, since the Nuggets are hesitant to take on Deng's contract. Noah is set to be a free agent after this season and will make $3.1 million this season.

If the Bulls can't get a trade done this season, however, then the advantage goes to the Knicks due in part to the team having salary-cap room when Eddy Curry's contract comes off the books.

Clearly, Anthony cannot delegate where he is traded, and with the Los Angeles Clippers, New Jersey Nets, and Houston Rockets also showing interest, the Nuggets could send him wherever they want.

Perhaps they wouldn't want to give him the best scenario to win, seeing as he is leaving them.

The Nuggets offered Anthony a three-year, $65 million contract extension, but with coach George Karl returning from fighting cancer and being in the last year of his contract, Kenyon Martin, J.R. Smith, and Arron Afflalo hitting free agency next year and the possibility of center Nene and Chauncey Billups hitting the market as well, the Nuggets' future is uncertain.

Anthony would like to be traded before the season, and seeing as the new GM of the Nuggets, Masai Ujiri, has not had a face-to-face meeting with Anthony since he was hired on Aug. 31, one would think he will be.