Carmelo Anthony Trade Rumors: Rating Knicks and Nets Offers Piece by Piece
The New Jersey Nets put an offer on the table. The Denver Nuggets agreed with it and all that was left was for Carmelo Anthony to ink his name to an extension.
But now the Knicks owner James Dolan, much to Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni's displeasure, has decided the offer that was too steep only a month ago looks just about right for All-Star weekend.
With both the Nets and Knicks offering multiple players and draft picks, I look to sort out which deal would be better for both the Nuggets and Carmelo.
Overview of Nets Offer
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The Nets would send Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, Troy Murphy, Ben Uzoh, and four first round draft picks to Denver.
In return, the Nets would receive Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Melvin Ely and Renaldo Balkman.
Overview of Knicks Offer
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The Knicks seemed unwilling to include Danilo Gallinari and Raymond Felton in a deal for Carmelo Anthony, but early reports this morning indicate at least one person in the Knicks organization feels it is a necessary move. That one person is James Dolan and ultimately, as the owner, he has the last say.
The Knicks would send away Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Eddy Curry's expiring contract and a No. 1 pick for Carmelo and Chauncey Billups.
Breakdown of What is Being Offered
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Both the Nets and Knicks are offering up a point guard, a young power forward, a scoring guard, a bloated expiring contract and draft pick(s).
Since the deals are so similar, I will compare each piece head-to-head in the upcoming slides.
Raymond Felton Versus Devin Harris
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Devin Harris: 15 ppg, 7.6 apg, 2.4 rpg, 2.9 turnovers per game
Raymond Felton: 17.1 ppg, 9.0 apg, 3.6 rpg, 3.3 turnovers per game
Harris will be 28 soon and Felton is 26 years old.
For Denver, I think building around Raymond Felton is a better option than Devin Harris at the point guard position.
We have seen this season how well Felton has played with the supporting cast that would be included in this deal. Granted a lot of Felton's success has been due to Amar'e Stoudemire, but, for the same reason why Steve Nash is still a top point guard without Amar'e, I think Felton too will continue having success in Denver.
Ben Uzoh Versus Danilo Gallinari
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Ben Uzoh to Danilo Gallinari is the most apple to orange comparison of this grouping.
Uzoh is a 6'3" guard while Gallinari is a 6'10" small forward. However, Gallinari is actually younger than the New Jersey rookie (about five months) and already has NBA experience.
Gallinari is the piece that was always missing from the Knicks offer. He is a proven scorer who is continuing to improve and is developing a drive to the basket part of his game to compliment his outside shooting. Uzoh will never become a Dwyane Wade, but Gallinari could become a Dirk Nowitzki.
Denver needs a scoring small forward to fill in the hole left by Carmelo. Gallinari may not be able to step in and average 25 a night, but he will give them an immediate impact and someone to build around for the future.
Wilson Chandler Versus Derrick Favors
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Right now I would take Wilson Chandler over Derrick Favors.
In fact, I might take Wilson Chandler over Derrick Favors five years from now. We do not know what Favors will turn into and Chandler has proven to be a solid, undersized power forward who may be better off playing small forward.
Why I would shy away from Chandler in this deal is because of his contract. Chandler will be a free agent at the end of this year and something tells me that all of this trade talk and under-appreciation this season will lead to him testing the market and finding out he has more value than $2 million a season.
I see Chandler being looked at by contenders like the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs or even the Miami Heat as that hard nosed defender/scoring threat who can push them over the top. For Chandler those destinations would be far brighter than a rebuilding project in Denver.
Favors is locked into his contract longer and if he becomes a star, the Nuggets will enjoy paying him $4 million a year for a few more seasons before deciding on whether or not to sign him to his first big deal.
Battle of the Bloat
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Troy Murphy's expiring contract relieves around $700,000 more off the Denver books than Eddy Curry's. For that small reason I give the edge to Troy Murphy.
Draft Picks
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The Nets are offering the Nuggets an unprecedented four first round picks.
There is a reason that the Nuggets did not pounce on this deal earlier. The longer they waited, the value of those draft picks went higher and higher. A No. 1 pick for a playoff Knicks team (which they will most certainly be, especially with Carmelo) would be somewhere in the 20-30 range. The Nets on the other hand would have at least one lottery pick.
In terms of draft picks, the Nets have a better offer.
Final Verdict for Denver
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If you look at what Denver is losing, the Knicks deal fits them better.
Inserting Raymond Felton for Chauncey Billups gives the Nuggets a younger, faster floor general who has proven he can run an offense effectively in both New York and Charlotte.
The Nets do not have anyone in their offer to insert at the small forward position. Gallinari on the other hand could be the guy the Nuggets build around.
With Eddy Curry's $11 million and the likelihood of Wilson Chandler signing somewhere else, the Nuggets could use that extra money to lock in Nene and decide if they want to hang onto J.R. Smith. Then they could use the Knicks No. 1 pick to bring in a power forward to replace the aging Kenyon Martin.
Having four first round draft picks would be nice, but the odds of one of those picks turning into a Carmelo Anthony level player are incredibly slim. Even the odds of those picks turning into a Danilo Gallinari are very slim.
The James Dolan Knicks offer is better than what the Nets have on the table.
Final Verdict for Carmelo
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All along, the Knicks have been the team Carmelo Anthony has wanted to play for. Now he has the chance.
In New Jersey, Carmelo would have Brook Lopez, Chauncey Billups, and Kobe Bryant's bench guys.
In New York, Carmelo would still have Billups and would be paired beside another NBA All-Star in Amar'e, a solid rookie in Landry Fields, a mysterious big man in Mozgov and an ownership who would be immediately targeting Chris Paul for the future.
The Knicks deal makes the most sense for Denver and Carmelo. As sad as it may be for Knicks fans to part with Gallinari and Felton, I think the addition of Carmelo will help to heal those feelings fairly quickly.
