The Carmelo-to-New Jersey Trade: ‘Dead’

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

The Nets and Nuggets have reportedly been unable to reach an agreement when it comes to Carmelo Anthony, so the proposed (and complex) trade is off the table — for now.

‘Melo will remain in Denver — no one can predict for how long — and according to various media reports, it’s because the Nuggets simply couldn’t bring themselves to pull the trigger.

From the NY Post:

Exasperated by the machinations of an inexperienced Denver front office that wanted this, tried that and attempted to expand the parameters of a trade for superstar Carmelo Anthony, the Nets finally called off the complicated four-team swap meet yesterday, several hours after imposing a deadline on the deal. The teams always can talk again about a deal until the February deadline. “Deal is dead,” a Nets official said, adding that the team is “concentrating on our guys.”

So what once looked like a promising deal that would bring Anthony’s much-desired star power to the Nets — at a cost of rookie stud Derrick Favors, young veteran Devin Harris, Quinton Ross and two future No. 1 picks — died after being strung out by inactivity in Denver, where they were against dealing Anthony all along … Executives from teams that were both in discussions or trying to get in discussions, criticized the handling of the matter by the Nuggets’ front office that has Masai Ujiri as general manager for less than a month. One such executive cited “too many voices, a rookie GM, an unpolished [management team] and the fear of moving their superstar as the first move” as the reasons the deal didn’t go through.

The Carmelo Anthony saga is obviously far from over. The Nuggets will continue to sell him on signing that $65 million extension, but you can be sure that we’ll be going through this again as the trade deadline approaches should he refuse to commit.

With the Nets out of the picture, prepare yourselves for months of renewed Carmelo-to-the-Knicks rumors.