NBA Trade Rumors: Carmelo Anthony Visits NYC, Hornets Looking To Add and More
The NBA regular season is more than a quarter of the way through, and the trade winds are whipping once again.
Teams across the league are putting together their Christmas wish lists while Carmelo Anthony sits and stews in Denver, hoping that Santa Claus will offer him a sleigh ride to New York.
Outside of an exchange between the Hornets and the Raptors involving the likes of Jerryd Bayless, Peja Stojakovic and Jarrett Jack, the market for players changing teams has been rather dull thus far through the 2010-2011 season.
However, as the February 24th trade deadline creeps up, the buyers and sellers will continue to differentiate themselves from one another, with playoff-bound teams eying deep postseason runs ahead of a likely lockout next year.
Here are some of the more prominent rumors hitting the wire in mid-December.
'Melo Seeking Trade/Extension with the New York Knicks
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There was quite a buzz about Madison Square Garden on Sunday, and it wasn't just because the Knicks won their eighth game in a row, or because Amar'e Stoudemire set a new franchise record for most consecutive games with at least 30 points.
Though those were certainly reasons enough for basketball fans in New York to cheer.
However, the biggest ovations came before the game, but for Carmelo Anthony.
The Knicks got a preview of what could potentially be in their 129-125 win over the Nuggets, in which 'Melo went for 31 points, 13 rebounds and three assists.
According to sources per ESPN, Anthony told the team after the game that he would only sign the $65 million extension that Denver offered him over the summer if the Nuggets traded him to New York City.
Of course, the notion of Carmelo going to New York is nothing new. Anthony has been ogling the Knicks ever since his 2003 draft buddies—LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh—teamed up in Miami.
The thinking is that 'Melo wants to be a part of his own super group in New York, the city in which he was married and spent eight years of his childhood.
The Knicks would certainly seem to have the parts to make a deal work, with young, cheap talent like Anthony Randolph and Wilson Chandler to send along with the expiring contract of Eddy Curry and future draft picks.
However, whether such a package would be enough to satisfy Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri is a different story.
O.J. Mayo, Not 'Melo, in the Mix for the Knicks?
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Should an in-season deal for 'Melo fall through, Memphis' O.J. Mayo could be next in line to light up the New York rumor mill.
Mayo has seen his numbers plummet this year, after averaging 18.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists over his first two seasons in the league, during which he played in every one of the Grizzlies' games.
The former USC Trojan's scoring is down to 12.0 points per game, thanks in large part to his demotion to the bench by head coach Lionel Hollins.
Despite being the third overall pick in the NBA Draft just two-and-a-half years ago, Mayo has already been supplanted in the starting lineup by Xavier Henry, the rookie wing whom the Grizz drafted out of Kansas with the 12th choice this past summer.
Combine that with the fact that Memphis has already locked up two of its other young stars—Rudy Gay and Mike Conley—to long-term deals, and the writing seems to be scrawled over the walls for O.J. at the FedExForum.
Hence, the one-time high school phenom could very well be on the move.
SI.com is reporting that sources close to Mayo's family think he will be shipped to the Knicks in the near future.
At this point, it's difficult, if not impossible, to tell how such an acquisition would impact New York's pursuit of Carmelo Anthony.
Gilbert Arenas: Agent Zero on the Outs in DC?
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O.J. Mayo is far from the only player in the NBA who could be shipped out by his current team after being passed over by a rookie.
Washington's Gilbert Arenas has been on the trading block ever since he finished out the 2009-2010 season under suspension for bringing guns into NBA locker rooms, as a purported means of settling a gambling debt with former teammate Javaris Crittendon.
And with rookie sensation John Wall taking over the Wizards point guard duties to the tune of 16.7 points, 8.9 assists and 2.3 assists per game, Agent Zero is looking more and more expendable by the game.
Unfortunately for new owner Ted Leonsis, Arenas is about as unmovable as players come these days.
Aside from being a public relations nightmare waiting to happen, Arenas has struggled with injuries in recent seasons and, more importantly, has three years remaining on the infamous six-year, $111 million deal he signed with the Wiz in 2008, making him an anathema to the rest of the league.
To say the least.
To his credit, Arenas has shown flashes of his former self this season, posting games of 30 points or more against Orlando and Chicago and racking up 16 assists against Detroit.
Recent rumors suggested the Magic might be takers, with the struggling Vince Carter and his bloated contract potentially on the block.
Either way, don't expect any team to move too hastily to bring Arenas on board.
Andre Iguodala: Young Swingman To Enter His Prime Elsewhere?
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To say the Philadelphia 76ers are in a state of flux would be a drastic understatement.
Following the disappointing tenure of Eddie Jordan, the Sixers brought in Rod Thorn as team president and former TNT color analyst and long-time NBA coach Doug Collins to guide an intriguing group of youngsters and veterans.
Collins' time in Philly has been anything but ideal thus far, with the team a dismal 8-15 and 2010 second-overall pick Evan Turner still trying to find his way, after being dubbed "NBA-ready" by just about everyone coming into the season.
Such has the Sixers in a difficult spot, particularly with a player like Andrew Iguodala on the roster.
Now in his seventh season out of Arizona, "Iggy" has established himself as a quality pro, though far from the franchise star Philly had hoped he'd be.
People around the league have speculated that Thorn would try to move Iguodala in return for some other good pieces now that the rookie Turner, whose game is considered rather Iguodala-esque, is on board.
However, as is always the case, money has seemingly held the Sixers back from coaxing other teams into taking Iggy.
Iguodala is in the third year of a six-year, $80 million extension he signed with the team back in 2008, meaning that whoever takes him on would have to foot a rather hefty bill.
On top of that, the Sixers have reportedly told teams interested in Iguodala's services that they are only willing to part with him if the recipient also accepts the similarly-bloated contract of oft-injured forward Elton Brand, who has still another two years left on his five-year, $80 million deal.
And, with economic climate being what it is around the league, few teams at the moment seem willing to be left swimming in the Sixers' debt, Iggy or no.
New Orleans Hornets: Buyers Looking for Buyers?
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One team that could potentially take on Andre Iguodala, and that has been rumored this season as a possible destination, is New Orleans.
The Hornets are in something of a unique position, to say the least.
With Chris Paul healthy and new front office management in place, the team looks like a good bet to make the playoffs this season—head coach Monty Williams' first.
Additionally, New Orleans GM Dell Demps has a $9.7 million trade exception with which to play around after dealing Peja Stojakovic and Jerryd Bayless to Toronto in exchange for Jarrett Jack. Thus, the Hornets would seem to be in perfect position to add a significant piece like Iguodala.
However, the Hornets recently became the first team to be bought by the NBA after former majority owner George Shinn failed to sell the team to local business mogul and minority owner Gary Chouest.
Word on the "street" is that the Hornets may move to Seattle or Kansas City if the league can't find a buyer to keep the team in New Orleans—a scenario that commissioner David Stern is said to bristle at.
Interestingly enough, adding another big-time player to the roster could turn out to be a good thing for the Hornets ownership prospects in this case, as a better team would, presumably, draw more fans, thereby raising the potential value of the franchise.
Thus, "Nawlins," and not the Big Apple, could turn out to be the big trade destination this season.
Antawn Jamison: Another Soon-To-Be-Ex-Cavalier?
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Among big-money players ripe for movement, Cleveland's Antawn Jamison is yet another candidate who could have his bags packed for the Gulf before the end of February.
With Byron Scott in as the head coach and LeBron James out to pursue rings in Miami, the Cavaliers had hoped to compete for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with the pieces they had left.
But, at 7-17, it seems as though Cavs owner Dan Gilbert will have to blow up the team and start from scratch if he and the LeBron-haters in Ohio can consider their team worthy of postseason play, much less championship contention.
Jamison could be the first of many shoes to drop, with the 34-year-old 'tweener still capable of putting up 15 to 20 points per game, though at the steep price of $13.6 million this year and $15.1 million next year, assuming there's no lockout.
That being said, Jamison is one of many players on the Cavs roster who could be had for the right price, with young forward J.J. Hickson being the most attractive option to teams looking to pillage what remains in Cleveland.
Suns Setting for Steve Nash in the Desert?
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Whispers of Steve Nash's departure from Phoenix could very well turn into loud chants of exhilaration for one lucky NBA team this season.
Nash has endured a rather turbulent time since this past summer.
Most notably, he watched star forward Amar'e Stoudemire ditch the desert for new digs in New York while his marriage deteriorated into divorce, which became public just one day after his now-ex-wife, Alejandra Amarilla, gave birth to their third child.
Before the season ever began, Nash went on record suggesting the Suns would miss the playoffs this season, saying, "To be honest, if I was outside this picture and a betting man, I would probably pick us to be outside of the playoffs considering all the changes and the new guys."
Not exactly a ringing endorsement of his new cast, which includes the likes of Hedo Turkoglu, Josh Childress and Hakim Warrick.
As one might expect, a despondent Nash has suggested to some around him that he thinks he will likely be traded by new Suns GM Lance Blanks before the season is through.
A reunion with Stoudemire and Mike D'Antoni in New York seems unlikely with the way that Raymond Felton has been playing this season for the Knicks, though a move to a team like Orlando would seem to make some sense for the aging All-Star.
