Carmelo Anthony Trade Rumors: 10 Under-the-Radar Teams with Trade Chips
Carmelo Anthony trade rumors are something we'll hear all season long, like it or not.
The Denver Nuggets star has made it pretty clear that he wants out, and the team would probably like to get something in return rather than see him walk in free agency in two years.
By this point, we've all heard the rumors about where Anthony might land.
He's been linked to teams like the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls and New Jersey Nets for God knows how long.
So I'm not going to look at what the Nuggets might be able to get if they ship Anthony to one of those destinations.
I'm here to think a little bit outside the box, and discuss 10 under-the-radar teams who could put together a nice trade package, thus putting an end to the Carmelo Anthony era in Denver.
10. Dallas Mavericks
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Carmelo Anthony to the Dallas Mavericks for DeShawn Stevenson, Caron Butler and Rodrigue Beaubois.
Why It Works
Hey, no one said these trades would benefit both teams this season.
But Mark Cuban has made it pretty clear he wanted to lure LeBron James to Dallas, and he missed out.
Well, he gets a chance here with Anthony as his consolation prize.
This trade works for the Nuggets because they get a cheap up-and-comer (Beaubois), a short-term fill-in (Butler) and an expiring contract (Stevenson).
As for Dallas, it's safe to say the Mavericks would jump at that deal because they'd be pretty stacked if they landed Anthony.
9. Minnesota Timberwolves
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Carmelo Anthony to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Michael Beasley, Sebastian Telfair and a future-first round pick.
Why It Works
Anthony would blow a gasket if this trade ever happened—that's for sure.
But the trade actually makes sense for both teams.
Anthony gives the Timberwolves some much-needed star power and a very good player, and Beasley gives the Nuggets a solid forward with loads of potential (21.2 points and six rebounds per game this season).
Denver would also acquire a first-round pick that would likely be in the lottery.
So in all likelihood, Denver probably gets an expiring contract (Telfair), a developing 21-year-old (Beasley) and a top 10 pick.
Even if Beasley doesn't pan out, he comes cheap and only has two years left on his contract.
8. New Orleans
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The Trade
Carmelo Anthony to the New Orleans Hornets for Trevor Ariza, Marcus Thornton, Marcus Banks and a future first-round draft choice.
Why It Works
The trade would be complicated because a bunch of the Hornets' players can't be moved in a trade with another player, so I don't have all the details figured out.
But if these two teams could somehow make this happen, the Nuggets would get a solid wing player/defender in Ariza, a guy with a lot of potential as a sixth man in Thornton, an expiring contract in Banks and a first-round draft selection.
The Hornets,meanwhile, would have a pretty loaded team with Anthony, Chris Paul, Emeka Okafor and David West.
7. Charlotte Bobcats
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Carmelo Anthony to the Charlotte Bobcats for Gerald Wallace and Nazr Mohammed and a first-round draft pick in 2011.
Why It Works
Anthony has been linked to the Bobcats before, though mostly in multiple-team trades that would have sent him to the Nets.
But an Anthony-for-Wallace swap wouldn't be a huge drop-off in terms of production, Nazr Mohammed makes the money work and a first-round pick sweetens the deal for Denver (the Bobcats are 6-12 and should get a reasonably high lottery pick).
Plus, this is an opportunity for Michael Jordan to make amends after picking Adam Morrison.
6. Indiana Pacers
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Carmelo Anthony to the Indiana Pacers for Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy.
Why It Works
Granger is a very good NBA player, but he's actually more than a year older than Anthony.
With this trade, the Nuggets would acquire a cheaper small forward whose production (22.2 points and 5.4 rebounds) is just a notch below that of Anthony (23.2 points and 8.3 rebounds), as well as Dunleavy's $10.5 million expiring contract.
The Pacers, on the other hand, would now have a nice trio to build around, with Anthony, Darren Collison and Roy Hibbert.
5. Golden State Warriors
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Carmelo Anthony to the Golden State Warriors for Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and a future first-round draft choice.
Why It Works
Anthony is a scorer first and foremost, and so is Monta Ellis.
Though Ellis leaves a lot to be desired on the defensive end, and he can be erratic at times, he's a good two-guard who packs one heck of a scoring punch.
With Ellis coming to Denver along with Udoh and a future first-round choice, the Nuggets would have some good young talent coming in to their organization, as well.
As for the Warriors, they'd have a very solid trio with Anthony, Stephen Curry and David Lee.
4. Memphis Grizzlies
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Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith to the Memphis Grizzlies for O.J. Mayo and Zach Randolph.
Why It Works
If the Nuggets are going to trade Anthony, they're going to want to do a complete overhaul of their roster.
By shedding Smith's contract in this trade, Denver would be without Anthony, Smith and Kenyon Martin next season. Translation: They're in total rebuilding mode.
With the acquisition of Mayo, the Nuggets would get a talented young player who seems to have fallen out of favor in Memphis and the expiring contract of Randolph, who would knock more than $17 million off the books for next season.
3. Philadelphia 76ers
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Carmelo Anthony to the Philadelphia 76ers for Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young and a future first-round selection.
Why It Works
Philadelphia 76ers fans might think this is giving up too much to get Anthony, and they might be right.
But this trade—with a few tweaks and more than just these two teams involved—has been discussed before, and some form of it could end up happening.
The 76ers would get one of the game's best players and its most captivating superstar since Allen Iverson.
The Nuggets, on the other hand, would acquire a good player (Iguodala), a very solid young guy and decent expiring contract (Young) and a first-round selection.
2. Houston Rockets
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Carmelo Anthony to the Houston Rockets for Shane Battier and Kevin Martin.
Why It Works
A rumored Anthony-for-Martin trade has been around for quite some time, and I actually think both teams benefit here.
Though Anthony can't be replaced, Martin's scoring ability would ease some of the team's scoring woes with Anthony's departure.
Battier would also provide a solid veteran presence for Denver this season to go along with his expiring contract.
And of course, Houston would have a nice corps with Anthony, Aaron Brooks, Yao (if he's healthy) and Luis Scola.
1. Sacramento Kings
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Why It Works
Anthony would prefer to go to the East Coast, but he's not calling the shots.
This would be a nice swap for both teams, with the Nuggets acquiring two very solid players in Casspi and Landry (expiring contract, too) as well as a likely top 10 pick.
And I think it's pretty safe to say the future would be bright for the Kings, with Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins and Carmelo Anthony, not to mention Samuel Dalembert coming off the books after the season.
That team would be poised to make some serious noise in the future.
