Carmelo Anthony Trade Rumors: 10 Most Important Factors for 'Melo Deadline Deal
The talks regarding a possible trade featuring NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony have been ongoing since the historic summer of free agents ended in August.
Since the days of "The Decision," basketball's next major possible movers has been Anthony who is set to hit free agency after this year. Rumored teams over the course of the last few months have included: New Jersey, New York, Chicago, both L.A. teams, and perhaps staying in Denver.
But, it appears that Carmelo might in fact make the move to New Jersey and join a lacking Nets team that is looking for the star piece to lead them in Brooklyn. At the end of the day it will be Carmelo who makes the say on where he wants to play.
10. Mikhail Prokhorov and Nets Ownership
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Simply put, the Russian billionaire owner of the Nets will need to impress Melo' over the All-Star Break to get him to agree to any deal.
Along with the team GM, CEO, and Jay-Z they will no doubt try everything in their power to convince the four time All-Star that his best bet at winning championships and being a global icon will be to accept a deal.
If Prokhorov and his team have the same success as they did when they met LeBron James during the summer, in which James seemed least impressed with New Jersey then all of his suitors, it could be another faulire.
9. Denver Fans
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It seems like the outlook of most in the NBA and for Nuggets fans is as if there is no way that Anthony will be a Nugget next season and beyond.
The booing in his home arena is an obvious sign that it is not going to work out in a long term capacity. The fans of Denver have seemingly come to the realization that Carmelo's flirting over the year's with playing in New York might actually have substance behind it, and they have no intention of being duped like Cleveland was with LeBron.
So, Carmelo can take a hint and realizes that his relationship with Denver will never be the same. Perhaps Denver is doing what Kobe suggested they were, "pushing him away".
8. New York Knicks
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Even when LeBron passed up the chance of being the man for the Knicks, the Knicks felt confident because they knew they would be at the front of the list of teams for Carmelo when the time came.
Not much has been discussed about deals between New York and Denver, and that is probably how the teams want it to be. New Jersey has been very public with their wanting Carmelo thus far and New York could swoop in under the radar.
By all accounts, Carmelo's heart is with the Knicks. They are the "big lights" team with a much better chance to win sooner than New Jersey. It would not take as much convincing that's for sure.
7. Denver's Future
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The past few seasons, Denver has been one of the more dynamic and challenging teams to play in the Western Conference.
Would giving away there best player benefit them?
In the proposed deal, they would get talented and young point guard Devin Harris and rookie Derrick Favors along with several first round picks among others in return. Now those two players could be solid pieces and those draft picks should be rather high. That actually could make Denver a young, but solid team in a few seasons.
6. Moving To The Eastern Conference
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If Carmelo were to join the Nets, he would be joining the Eastern Conference right when the swing is seemingly about to happen.
For the last decade the West has been supremely dominant from top to bottom, as Melo' has had first hand experience with. As he close to moving to the East, the NBA is looking like the power is coming back that way.
The West have great teams like San Antonio, Phoenix and Los Angeles that have been mainstays in the latter rounds of the playoffs that are getting long in the tooth. The East have teams like Miami, New York, Chicago, Orlando, Boston (some young talent i.e. Rondo) and Atlanta that are on the rise. If Carmelo wants to get in on the fun so be it, but do not say I didn't warn him.
5. LeBron's Decision
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There is no way of knowing how Carmelo truly took his friend and Olympic teammate LeBron James' "Decision." If anything he must have been thankful for learning what not to do when his time came to choose his future team.
Carmelo is faced with the decision that is all his own. He could return home to New York and be the center attraction. He could be the face of a "new" franchise if he joins the Nets. He could also show a unique sense of loyalty to the team that drafted him by staying in Denver if he so decided.
4. New Jersey's Roster
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If Carmelo does sign off on a trade and he is a member of the Nets, it will not be all sunny and roses off the bat.
He will be in New Jersey playing for about a year and a half before the move to Brooklyn is made. He will also be playing with a team that is not going to even sniff the playoffs for some time. He will have role players like Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmer to play with along with budding star Brook Lopez, but that's about it.
3. Carmelo Looking at The Big Picture
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Playing in New Jersey will not last that long and will not be but a blurp in his NBA career. That is one way to look at it from Carmelo's point of view.
He will be apart of something legendary by going home to Brooklyn with the first professional team in town since the Dodgers headed to L.A. The team will only improve with their young age. It will also be interesting to see if Melo' gets his pal Chris Paul to join him.
2. Possible NBA Lockout
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Certainly a lockout would lead to alot of uncertainty about next season. Carmelo might want to secure an extension before things get messy.
He could agree to a proposed trade and sign an extension with New Jersey or New York, and would not have to worry about these uncertainties.
1. Carmelo Anthony
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At the end of the day it will come down to one person to decide where Carmelo Anthony will be playing basketball in the future, and that of course is Carmelo Anthony.
It will be based on whether he decides with his heart, his head, or his ego. Needless to say it will be a big decision that will shake the landscape of the league.
