Carmelo Anthony To New Jersey: 15-Player Blockbuster Trade Nears Completion
Sources close to the negotiations say that the New Jersey Nets are dangerously close to acquiring superstar Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets.
It was also reported yesterday that the Detroit Pistons have emerged as a "third-party facilitator" in the trade negotiations.
The 15-player proposed blockbuster deal would send Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups, superstar Carmelo Anthony, and Detroit Pistons guard Richard Hamilton to the New Jersey Nets. The Nuggets in return would receive Nets point guard Devin Harris, young power forward Derrik Favors, sharpshooter Anthony Morrow, Quinton Ross, Ben Uzoh, Stephen Graham and a few first-round draft picks. The Detroit Pistons meanwhile would receive Nets big man Johan Petro and Troy Murphy's expiring contract.
The Detroit Pistons were motivated to enter this trade because of the salary they would be dumping. The Pistons would be ridding themselves of the gigantic contract of Richard Hamilton and would be acquiring the expiring contract of Troy Murphy, providing them with much needed salary relief.
Meanwhile, the Nets are hopeful that they will be able to reach a contract extension with Carmelo Anthony if the trade is completed.
The proposed deal though has hit a couple snags as the Denver Nuggets still appear reluctant to part ways with their superstar. The Denver Nuggets started Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups angering the Nets and Pistons who had endured 72 hours of negotiations.
The other snag is the potential salary issues as there are a lot of different complications that have to be sorted out to balance out the caps.
In all, the deal actually seems surprisingly fair. The Nuggets get a group of extremely talented young players and draft picks. The Nets would have the immediate ability to compete in a lackluster Eastern Conference, and the Detroit Pistons receive breathing room in terms of the salary cap.
If this trade goes through, this will go down as one of the biggest trades in NBA history.
