Carmelo Anthony: How Would These Teams Look With the Denver Star?
According to reports from ESPN.com this morning the Nuggets are now more open to the idea of trading Carmelo Anthony.
The list of teams he reportedly wants to play for includes New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Orlando, Houston and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Let's take a look at what those teams could offer and look like with Carmelo Anthony in their lineup.
New York Knicks
1 of 8
The Knicks could offer Eddy Curry's expiring contract, promising guard Toney Douglas, draft picks and their young Italian sharpshooter Danilo Gallinari.
New York would be hesitant to lose Gallinari as he's become a fan favorite in New York and looks to have a lot of potential. However, the trade would essentially be Gallinari for Anthony and that's obviously an upgrade.
Denver will likely go into full rebuilding mode if they deal Anthony which means Chauncey Billups and J.R. Smith could be on their way out as well. Toney Douglas would help support Ty Lawson at the point and Denver could flip Curry's expiring contract in another trade.
Carmelo would have a ball in Mike D'Antoni's system—he would get plenty of shots in the open court.
What New York might look like with 'Melo:
PG - Raymond Felton
SG - Kelenna Azubuike
SF - Wilson Chandler
PF - Carmelo Anthony
C - Amare Stoudemire
Regular Season Record: 53-29
Playoffs: Lose in conference semifinals
Contend with Heat? Not this year.
New Jersey Nets
2 of 8
This scenario seems very far-fetched even if New Jersey was willing to part with Devin Harris. What they'd love to do is give up Travis Outlaw, Terrence Williams, Kris Humphries and draft picks but those pieces just aren't good enough to get it done.
They may have an ever so slight chance of getting 'Melo with Harris, Williams, Humphries and picks.
This team would be young and fun to watch. They'd have to sign another point guard after losing Harris and would be shaky at best at that position with Jordan Farmar starting. However, the overall change in the lineup would still be an upgrade.
What New Jersey might look like with 'Melo:
PG - Jordan Farmar
SG - Anthony Morrow
SF - Carmelo Anthony
PF - Troy Murphy
C - Brook Lopez
Regular Season Record: 51-31
Playoffs: Lose in conference semifinals
Contend with Heat? No
Chicago Bulls
3 of 8
Denver may demand Noah in any deal with Chicago—but let's imagine the Bulls pulling this off without losing their young Center.
Chicago would give up Luol Deng, Taj Gibson, James Johnson and draft picks in exchange for 'Melo. Luol Deng gives Denver a serviceable small forward for the time being and Taj Gibson might be better than Kenyon Martin right now.
Chicago would have the kind of elite scorer they've been craving since Jordan retired. Combine him with budding superstars in Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah and it looks like Chicago will be contending for titles for years to come.
What Chicago might look like with 'Melo:
PG - Derrick Rose
SG - Ronnie Brewer
SF - Carmelo Anthony
PF - Carlos Boozer
C - Joakim Noah
Regular Season Record: 58-24
Playoffs: Lose in conference finals
Contend with Heat? Right away
Orlando Magic
4 of 8
Carmelo Anthony's salary matches up almost perfectly with Vince Carter's witch suggests a possible straight-up deal. Orlando would have to throw in plenty of future draft picks, but maybe not any other players.
This is another deal that seems very far-fetched since Orlando can't offer much young talent back to Denver.
If by some chance they did pull it off though... Wow! This team would be extremely good.
What Orlando might look like with 'Melo:
PG - Jameer Nelson
SG - J.J. Redick
SF - Carmelo Anthony
PF - Rashard Lewis
C - Dwight Howard
Regular Season Record: 64-18
Playoffs: Lose in NBA Finals
Contend with Heat? Absolutely.
Houston Rockets
5 of 8
This is an intriguing possibility. Houston could offer Jared Jeffries, draft picks and proven pure scorer Kevin Martin. They could pull off the deal with Battier instead of Martin, but Denver will demand more talent than that.
The Rockets would instantly become one of the best teams in the Western Conference with the acquisition of Anthony and the return of Yao Ming.
What Houston might look like with 'Melo:
PG - Aaron Brooks
SG - Courtney Lee
SF - Carmelo Anthony
PF - Luis Scola
C - Yao Ming
Regular Season Record: 55-27
Playoffs: Lose in conference finals
Contend with Lakers? Yes, but fall just short.
Los Angeles Clippers
6 of 8
This is another one that doesn't seem very likely at the moment. Denver would almost certainly have to get Eric Gordon back in this deal. Then, to make the salaries match with Carmelo's, Los Angeles would have to put either Baron Davis or Chris Kaman in this deal.
Denver has no need for either one of those players. Kaman seems slightly more logical so let's say the trade goes like this: Gordon, Kaman and draft picks for Anthony.
Having Carmelo in Los Angeles would make the Clippers/Lakers rivalry one of the best rivalries in the league. And with some young talent surrounding 'Melo this squad would be contending for years.
What Los Angeles might look like with 'Melo:
PG - Baron Davis
SG - Randy Foye
SF - Carmelo Anthony
PF - Blake Griffin
C - Deandre Jordan
Regular Season Record: 50-32
Playoffs: Lose in conference semifinals
Contend with Lakers? Not this year.
What Happens to Denver Without Carmelo?
7 of 8
Like I've said a few times in this article, if Denver does pull the trigger on a Carmelo Anthony trade—they'll likely go into full rebuilding mode.
That means Chauncey Billups, Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith could very well be on their way out as well.
Of the teams examined in this article, the one that can offer Denver the best compensation is the New York Knicks. Ty Lawson and Danilo Gallinari would be good young players to build around for the future.
A New Era in The NBA
8 of 8
We are now in the era of the "super team". The Boston Celtics started it a few years ago when they assembled their big three and this past summer the Miami Heat blew the roof off this concept.
Superstars like Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul now want to be a part of such a team as well. It appears that the future of the NBA is this: five or six big market teams with at least two superstars contending every year.
The one team that appears to have a chance to bust this trend is the Oklahoma City Thunder. They're in a smaller market and have built their team almost entirely through the draft.
We'll see how it all plays out soon enough.
