NBA Trade Rumor: Mavericks Want To Make A Run At Nuggets' J.R. Smith

Although the Denver Nuggets have reportedly decided not to trade J.R. Smith, the Dallas Mavericks are attempting to acquire him, according to a report from ESPN's Marc Stein. However, the Mavericks don't believe they'll be able to trade for him or Detroit's Tayshaun Prince. The Bulls may also be interested in acquiring Smith, who was with them for a few days before he was traded to the Nuggets back in 2006.

Smith has expressed a desire to stay in Denver, and the Nuggets internally appear ready to re-sign him when he becomes a free agent. Smith is presumably the starter at small forward, but Danilo Gallinari could take that spot. Wilson Chandler will come off the bench.

With the Carmelo Anthony trade over, the Nuggets appear ready to play out the rest of the season with the players they acquired in that deal and keep those players they already have. Don't expect J.R. Smith or Nene to be moved.

2011 NBA Trade Deadline: Jazz, Nets Swap Deron Williams, Derrick Favors In Multi-Player Deal

While they missed out on Carmelo Anthony, the New Jersey Nets just completed a trade with the Utah Jazz for point guard Deron Williams, according to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski. The Jazz receive rookie Derrick Favors, point guard Devin Harris and two first-round draft picks. As part of a separate deal, the Nets will trade Troy Murphy's expiring contract to the Golden State Warriors for Brandan Wright and Dan Gadzuric.

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has made a shrewd move here after losing out on Carmelo Anthony. After being burned by the public nature of the Carmelo Anthony trade talks, Prokhorov's teams was able to swoop in and grab a top star with ease.

I agree with Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post, who tweets:

If D-Will is New Jersey's consolation prize after not getting Melo, did they really lose?

Williams is one of the top point guards in the league, whom the Nets received for basically the asking price of Carmelo Anthony. Williams has two years left on his current contract.

2011 NBA Trade Deadline Rumor: J.R. Smith Unlikely To Be Moved

Though whispers over the last few weeks had the Denver Nuggets exploring other trade opportunities after a Carmelo Anthony trade, it appears that the Nuggets will not move anyone else before Thursday's deadline. According to Chris Tomasson of AOL FanHouse:

A source close to the situation said the Nuggets won't make another deal by Thursday's trade deadline unless there's something that knocks the team's "socks off.'' The source doesn't expect J.R. Smith to be traded, and that the Nuggets want to re-sign him.

Neither Nene, who is expected to opt out of his contract to become a free agent, nor J.R. Smith would then be moved. The Nuggets reportedly want to reach an extension with Nene, which is one reason why they would not want to move him at the trade deadline. If a new contract can't be reached, a trade before June 30 could still happen. Smith is set to be a free agent this offseason, but he has expressed a desire to stay in Denver.

After all of the trade drama the Nuggets were involved in recently, it may be best to lay low during the final stretch of trades.

Nuggets May Swap Gallinari To Clippers For First Round Pick

The Denver Nuggets may not be completely satisfied with the trade package they received in exchange for Carmelo Anthony from the New York Knicks. The same morning that the Nuggets' office proclaimed they will keep all the players from the blockbuster trade, reports are surfacing that would send Danilo Gallinari to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for a 2012 first round draft pick.

This trade would help the Denver Nuggets obtain the draft selections that the Knicks couldn't offer, a major reason they pushed hard for Anthony to sign with the New Jersey Nets -- who could have offered four first round selections.

Since the pick is unprotected, Denver could be looking at a top selection in 2012, as Minnesota is likely to keep their pick this season.

2011 NBA Trade Deadline: Nuggets Reportedly Want To Extend Contract With Nene

Now that Carmelo Anthony has been traded, the floodgates may open for other NBA trades to happen. Does that include more dealing from the Denver Nuggets? J.R. Smith has long been a possible trade candidate, and at one point Al Harrington was a part of one trade or another with Carmelo Anthony. And there's also Nene.

Nene has been the subject of some speculation lately, but now it appears as though the Nuggets want to keep him. According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Nuggets would prefer to sign Nene to an extension. If they can't, moving Nene before the draft would likely be the route. Nene can opt out of his contract at the end of this season and become a free agent. Retaining Nene would seemingly provide a bit of familiarity and stability to the team as it rebuilds.

With 'Melo and Chauncey Billups gone, Nene is the leading scorer on the roster with 15.0 points per game. When Raymond Felton (17.1), Wilson Chandler (16.4) and Danilo Gallinari (15.9) arrive they will become the team's leading scorers, respectively.

2011 NBA Trade Deadline: Will J.R. Smith Stay With The Nuggets?

The Denver Nuggets could choose to move J.R. Smith at the Feb. 24 trade deadline, and Smith is well aware of his situation with the team. According to quotes in the Denver Post, Smith believes he could be traded out of Denver, but he would like to stay with the team.

Smith will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and his preference is to stay in Denver. His off-the-court actions and his level of maturity have often clashed with his role on the team, and Denver could look to move in a new direction this summer, especially if Carmelo Anthony is no longer with the team. Smith's 2011 salary was slightly over $6,000,000, which may be too rich for the team going forward.

The Nuggets acquired Smith from the Chicago Bulls in July 2006 for Howard Eisley and two second-round draft picks. In the 2010-2011 season so far, Smith has averaged 11.4 points in 24.6 minutes. That has not stopped him from making a number of amazing dunks this season.

2011 NBA Trade Deadline: Will The Nuggets Move Nene?

Though the most intense rumors during the NBA Trade Deadline will center on Carmelo Anthony, there may be a growing consensus that the Nuggets will look to move Nene Hilario at the deadline if Anthony is traded. Nene has an $11.6 million dollar option he can exercise; however, he is expected to decline the option and head to free agency.

On Wednesday, it was reported that the Golden State Warriors inquired about Nene, though nothing substantial has taken place yet. Marc Stein of ESPN reported that if the Nuggets do trade Carmelo Anthony, they would like to do it a few days before the Feb. 24 trade deadline in order to move several other players, Nene being the most likely because of his contract situation.

The Houston Chronicle reports that the Rockets are also interested in trading for Nene, though nothing is percolating at the moment.

It is becoming clear that if the Nuggets do trade Melo, there could be a major turnover at the deadline as the team looks to rebuild the roster.