The Carmelo Anthony trade rumors have, apparently, come full-circle, with the Denver Nuggets and New Jersey Nets reportedly piecing together the framework of a deal that would send Anthony to New Jersey. The news comes just about a month after Nets’ owner Mikhael Prokhorov called off talks and told the team to walk away from the deal after the two teams were unable to find a common ground in earlier discussions. Now, the two sides are reportedly back at the table, discussing a less complicated deal than the one before.
According to Yahoo!‘s Adrian Wojnarowski, the trade package is scaled-down from the last time the Nuggets and Nets were discussing a deal. Instead of a three- or four-team deal, it’s just the New Jersey and Denver this time around.
The Nets and Nuggets are discussing a deal that would send Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Melvin Ely, Renaldo Balkman and Shelden Williams to the Nets for Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, Troy Murphy, Ben Uzoh and four first-round draft picks, a league source with knowledge of the talks told Yahoo! Sports on Thursday night.
As Wojnarowski mentions, the framework of the deal could also be used against the New York Knicks in an effort to get them to up the ante in an effort to bring Anthony to New York. Anthony has been linked to the Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers since Prokhorov called off talks in January.
Anthony and Prokhorov will be both in Los Angeles this weekend, as well, perhaps allowing the two sides to meet and discuss an extension. For any trade to be finalized, Anthony would have to agree to an extension, ensuring he remains with the destination team for the long-term.
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