National Basketball Association

Report: Anthony trade talks get messy

Published Jan. 11, 2011 12:00 a.m. ET

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Trade talks involving Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony possibly going to the New Jersey Nets are turning messy, Yahoo! Sports reported Tuesday.

According to the report, "The Denver Nuggets delivered a stern warning to the New Jersey Nets: Unless the public nature of these trade discussions becomes private, be warned that we will send Anthony to the New York Knicks."

Yahoo! Sports cites league sources for the statement. ESPN.com reports the Nuggets' threat was never made.

A three-team, 14-player trade involving the Nets, Nuggets and Detroit Pistons including Anthony, Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton was believed to be close to completion Sunday, but Denver reportedly keeps tweaking the deal.

Anthony, a three-time NBA All-Star, admitted to being frustrated by the recent name-dropping of other players potentially involved in the trade talks.

"With the whole thing, with the whole Chauncey situation, for me to see him in that, and all the speculation that's going on, it's kind of hard to see him involved in that," Anthony told the Denver Post. "I feel bad about it. I guess that's the business of basketball."

The process is dragging and the optimism that pervaded the Nets organization has taken a hit, though there is still a belief the deal can get done, despite growing annoyance on both sides, especially with the public posture the talks have assumed.

It is believed the Knicks do not have enough assets to make a deal attractive to the Nuggets.

The Yahoo! report says Knicks president Donnie Walsh has asked Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri for a list of what it would take to complete a deal, "whether it be draft picks or specific players from other teams, [but] sources said Ujiri has been unresponsive."

The Nets have been confident all along that if they can get a deal in place, Anthony would agree to a three-year, $65 million contract extension, which the Nuggets have offered since June.

In Denver, Anthony reiterated to reporters that he did not expect a trade to happen this week and said he expects to play Tuesday night against the Suns.

"That's just my feeling," said Anthony, who is believed to prefer the Knicks over any other team. "I don't think so. I don't want to elaborate on that anymore. That's just my personal feeling . . .  It could go on to the [Feb. 24] trade deadline."
 

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