ESPN’s Chris Sheridan is reporting that Carmelo Anthony has informed the Denver Nuggets he will not sign the three-year, $65 million extension unless he is traded to the New York Knicks. Sheridan adds:
The source, using the most definitive language possible, confirmed what has been widely speculated around the NBA over the past two months as Anthony has been at the center of trade talks involving numerous teams.
Apparently, Sheridan’s source learned of this after the Nuggets’ loss to the Knicks on Sunday. Anthony scored 31 points in the loss, though Knicks fans did cheer for him before the game tipped off.
But does this eliminate the Nuggets’ chances of trading Carmelo Anthony? Sheridan indicates that the New Jersey Nets are essentially out of the running because Melo won’t sign an extension with them. However, it may be possible for the Nuggets to find a team that is willing to give up a good package in order to try and win it all this season.
Still, that has also been a possibility for several months now. In the end, all these rumors of the Knicks, the Nets or some other team are a rehashing of news we’ve heard over the last few months. It’s just being repackaged as new.