Carmelo Anthony Trade: Recapping the 20 Biggest Developments in Melo-Drama Saga
With 10 days to go until the NBA trade deadline Feb. 24, there's still only one deal people are talking about—the potential home of Melo.
Since The Decision (which now pales in comparison to this months-long Melodrama), Carmelo Anthony has been discussed ad nauseam—enough to make some fans nauseous.
Of course, the mere fact that Melo is the biggest name available in free agency has garnered all this attention, even though Anthony has never publicly asked for a trade.
But privately no one knows for sure what he's saying. Still, all signs point to Melo wanting out of Denver and into a New York Knicks jersey.
For seven months now, Anthony's exorbitant extension has collected dust on owner Stan Kroenke's desk, and the multitude of rumors about Melo moving locals have multiplied over time.
So as this trade (or not) quickly approaches, let's look at the twists and turns these trade talks have taken us on.
Melodrama Day One: No Re-Sign
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For the Nuggets, Melo and fans, this drama dates all the way back to mid June of 2010, when Denver offered Anthony the lucrative three-year, $65 million extension and Melo didn't sign.
Anthony decided to "let things play out" and see what Denver decided to do to build around him.
The Nuggets signed Shelden Williams and Al Harrington to bolster their big man, but neither was enough of a sign to the star that the franchise was committed to winning, so he refused to re-sign.
Of course, he was also thinking about his upcoming wedding to Lala Vasquez at the time and having fun in his off time, not worrying about signing a contract.
Out with the Old Front Office
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Melodrama Day 18
After a couple of weeks without Anthony's name on the dotted line, Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke dumped vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien and vice president of player personnel Rex Chapman.
The move came as a surprise to many, and at the time the front office firing seemed to be because Melo was hesitant to sign—maybe new blood could get this deal done.
But it turns out that Melo and Mark Wark were close, and some speculate he hasn't re-signed because Anthony's biggest ally in Warkentien is gone.
In with the New
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Melodrama Day 45
In came Masai Ujiri (who supposedly has a close relationship with Anthony as well), and Stan Kroenke's son Josh had to take a new, prominent role in the franchise because Stan bought a majority share of the NFL's St. Louis Rams.
The hiring of Ujiri and placement of Josh into power were questionable moves—Ujiri let Chris Bosh walk from Toronto last summer, and Kroenke the Younger had no front office experience when he was given his position from the golden goose.
Melo for Joakim Noah?
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Melodrama Day 53
After growing impatient with Melo's hesitancy with signing, the Nuggets began exploring trade options.
Anthony made it clear through his agents that he wanted to go to either the Bulls, Knicks, Nets or Rockets, and Denver found the big man they needed in Joakim Noah.
But the Bulls didn't want to part with their young, blossoming center, and the Nuggets looked elsewhere.
First Favors for Melo Proposal
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Melodrama Day 86
In October, the Nuggets attempted to work out a deal with the Nets that would have sent rookie power forward Derrick Favors, Troy Murphy and two first-round picks to Denver for Carmelo Anthony.
The move would have worked well for the Nuggets. They could have acquired the big man they need and the valuable first-round picks that they haven't had in years due to many midseason trades in the past.
But Denver didn't go through with the deal because they believed they could get more in return from their lone superstar, so they kept looking.
Carmelo for Stephen Curry?
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Melodrama Day 92
One deal for Melo that was rumored was for second-year stud Stephen Curry.
This never really got past the rumor phase, and Golden State didn't want to let go of its great young sharpshooter Curry, even if it meant getting Melo.
Melo for Andre Iguodala?
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Melodrama Day 93
The young guns in Denver's front office didn't wait long after getting Bret Bearup booted to look for their own deal, and they talked about trading for Andre Iguodala of the Philadelphia 76ers.
While the Nuggets liked the physical abilities and skills Iguodala possesses, his massive payroll wouldn't have been conducive to building a team in Denver since they need to dump salary to focus on the future of the franchise.
Melo Shows Up to Media Day
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Melodrama Day 105
Just days before NBA's regular season began, Carmelo Anthony showed up to Nuggets media day and answered questions about possibly being traded.
Anthony told reporters, “I’m here today. Whatever the future holds, it holds. I'm leaving my options open right now.”
He continued, "I've never said I wanted to be traded. I never once said anything about trade talk. At the end of the season, I'll sit down with my team (agents), I'll sit down with the Nuggets and we'll talk about it. This has been a long summer. I'm just excited to get back to the court.”
Melo put his best foot forward with the media. His management coached him well and made sure he didn't look like a selfish LeBron James from earlier in the summer as he stayed committed to the Nuggets in the public eye.
Melo,
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Melodrama Day 107
In an interview with ESPN, Anthony said, "I think a lot of people take that [wrong] because that's not giving them anything, no information," Anthony said Friday. "When I say I want to keep my options open, that doesn't mean anything else.
"I think a lot of people just hear that and want to start saying what they want to say."
He continued to work the media in an attempt to not come off looking like his friend LeBron, who was vilified by the media post-decision.
Carmelo Anthony to the Clippers?
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Melodrama Day 120
The Nuggets reportedly inquired about the services of Blake Griffin for Carmelo Anthony, and the Clippers likely balked at the thought.
Yes, Griffin is only a second-year rookie, who missed his first season due to knee surgery, and Melo is an eight-year veteran and star in the NBA, but Griffin's upside is so tremendous that it wouldn't make sense for Los Angeles to trade such a valuable asset like a true center for a true scorer.
Griffin's an absolute beast, the type of player that's perfect to build an organization around because of his size and athletic abilities.
He's a one-in-a-million player, one if you're lucky enough to have you don't trade for the world.
Bye-Bye Bret Bearup
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Melodrama Day 147
Bret Bearup, the longtime right-hand man of Stan Kroenke who had been in the Nuggets' front office since Kroenke bought the franchise in 2000, was kicked out of office by the new kids on the block.
Reportedly, other front offices grew tired of hearing one thing from Bearup and the opposite from Ujiri and Kroenke the Younger, so Bearup had to go.
It was Bearup who was ready to trade with the Nets for Favors and the picks, but Ujiri and Kroenke were in favor of waiting to see if he changed his mind while looking for even more for Melo.
The day of the firing, I wrote that it would be even more likely Melo would stay in Denver with Bearup out of the situation, and as the deadline approaches, it is sill a possibility.
Carmelo for Brook Lopez?
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Melodrama Day 158
Even without Bearup, the front office continued to work with New Jersey on a possible deal, and they asked for the deal to be centered on veteran center Brook Lopez instead of rookie power forward Derrick Favors.
Lopez is a proven commodity at the NBA level, a strong, athletic and talented center that could be an important piece to a championship contender.
The Nets know just that. Lopez might not be as good a player as Anthony at this point, but he's got potential to grow, and centers are extremely difficult to come by these days.
Melo to New York?
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Melodrama Day 165
The Nuggets discussed potential deals with the New York Knicks since it remained the most coveted destination for Anthony, but the Knicks just didn't have what Denver wanted.
New York tried to trade the Nuggets Danilo Gallinari and Eddy Curry's expiring contract, while working with other teams to secure a first-round draft pick, but Denver wasn't interested, so the deal became dormant.
Melo Wants a Trade to New York
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Melodrama Day 180
On December 12, Carmelo Anthony finally came out and told the media he wants a deal to New York to play with the Knicks.
At that time he said, "Everybody's yelling out the windows: 'Melo we need you in New York.' Of course that feels good when you know someone out there wants you to come and represent their team and represent their city. That's what I took from that."
Following Anthony's remarks, Ujiri responded to a question about trading the star before the trade deadline saying, "In my gut right now, I can't say. I don't know. With these things you never know. I'm still assessing the situation, still figuring out a lot of stuff. He's still here, and I'm sure everybody thought he was going to be gone in training camp. So it's promising that he's still here."
Denver Channel 7
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Melodrama Day 182
On an interesting night, just following a Nuggets blowout loss to the Magic, Lionel Bienvenu reported that Anthony had been traded to the Nets for Favors, Murphy and two first-round picks.
But it was much ado about nothing, as the deal did not go through, and Melo remained with the Nuggets.
Bienvenu later retracted the story and fell victim to attacks from the Twitter universe, or Twitterverse, for the next 24 hours.
Melo Megadeal Builds
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Melodrama Day 205
Just a few days after the new year, the Nuggets and Nets were back working on a deal together, this time much more complicated than the one earlier in the season.
The deal, which would have included the Pistons as a third team, would have broken down like this:
Denver Nuggets Receive
Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, Anthony Morrow, Ben Uzoh, Stephen Graham, two first-round picks
New Jersey Nets Receive
Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton (from DET), Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter, Renaldo Balkman/Al Harrington
Detroit Pistons Receive
Troy Murphy, Johan Petro
At the time the deal was announced, it would have been the biggest blockbuster trade in NBA history, numbering 14 players, and it would have certainly helped the Nuggets build for the future.
Carmelo Doesn't Want to Talk to Nets Management
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Melodrama Day 215
Ten days after the first reports broke about the possible megadeal that was in the works for Melo, the star told reporters, "I can't talk to them people (Nets management). The Denver Nuggets still pay me. I can't talk to nobody."
When he was told that the Nuggets had given him permission to talk with New Jersey's front office, he continued, "I don’t want to talk to nobody. I let the front office handle that type of stuff. It ain't my job to be talking to New Jersey, New York, the Lakers, Dallas, no one. That’s not my job to do.
"I still won’t step into something like that," Anthony said. "I’ve seen a lot of people go through that and for me to sit here and say that I want to talk to them or Masai and Josh gave them permission to talk to me, I think that’s false. If that was the case, then I'm pretty sure I would've gotten a phone call from Masai or Josh about that."
It was a show that Melo didn't want to play for the Nets, and it possibly scared them away from dealing for him.
Mikhail Prokhorov Calls Off Melo Megadeal
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Melodrama Day 217
After months of discussing a deal for Carmelo Anthony, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov flew from Russia to New Jersey to hold a press conference and call off the deal.
In the presser, Prokhorov said, "There comes a time when the price is simply too expensive. I'm instructing our team to walk away from the deal."
Prokhorov continued, "It's been too long and too expensive. I never met with Carmelo and I never spoke with him. Maybe he sent me an e-mail, but I didn't see it. Or maybe the carrier pigeon got lost. I never received any negative information. But there was no direct information. It's my feeling of strategy."
The Nuggets took too long by dragging their feet and trying to add in Al Harrington's four-year, $28 million contract to the deal, and Melo made it clear he wouldn't be signing the extension that the Nets needed as a guarantee he'd be with New Jersey for at least three years.
So it was back to square one for Denver's front office with only five weeks until the deadline.
Mark Warkentien Signed to New York as Consultant
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Melodrama Day 230
The New York Knicks, still hopeful of landing Carmelo, hired his old friend Mark Warkentien to be a consultant.
It's thought that by bringing in Warkentien the Knicks will be able to persuade Anthony to come to the Big Apple, and while it was a solid strategical move, New York needs to convince the Nuggets front office, not Melo himself.
Denver-Minnesota-New York Deal
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Melodrama Day 236
ESPN's Chris Broussard reported on February 5 that the Nuggets, Knicks and Timberwolves were in discussions to take part in a three-way trade for Carmelo Anthony.
In the deal, the Nuggets would have gotten Wilson Chandler from the Knicks and Corey Brewer from Minnesota along with their first-round pick in 2011.
But the T'Wolves didn't want to part ways with either Brewer or their pick, and the deal fell through, so now the Nuggets are left with very few options remaining.
Present Day
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Melodrama Day 245
Ten days to go until the trade deadline, and after two-thirds of an entire year working on a multitude of various trades, the Nuggets are no closer to moving Melo than they were in June, when the front office said they wouldn't deal him from Denver.
So now Kroenke and Ujiri have a huge and vastly important decision (The Decision 2, if you will): to trade Anthony to the Knicks for unwanted assets or hold on to the disgruntled star and hope for some reason he wants to stay in Denver in the future.
Melo did say recently that he would "take a real hard look at signing the extension" at the end of the season if the Nuggets hadn't dealt him by that point, and it really is still a possibility (however slim the chance) that Carmelo Anthony will stay in the Mile High City.
What do you think, fans?
Where will Melo go? Where should he go? Where would you like to see him go?
Rich Kurtzman is a freelance journalist actively seeking a career in journalism. Along with being the CSU Rams Examiner, Kurtzman is a Denver Nuggets, Denver Broncos and NBA Featured Columnist for bleacherreport.com, the Colorado/Utah Regional Correspondent for stadiumjourney.com and a weekly contributor to milehighhoops.com.
Rich also heads up PR for K-Biz and Beezy, a Colorado-based rap group.
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