Denver Nuggets Tickets - Getting The Best Deal For Melo

Carmelo Anthony wants to be traded; there is just no way around it at this point

. The Nuggets might want Anthony to sign the three-year, $65 million extension they've offered him, but it doesn't look like he's interested in staying in Denver no matter what the financial gain. The Nuggets must move their focus from trying to keep their star player to trading him, and getting the best possible package in return. Nobody the Nuggets receive in return is going to have the kind of star power to sell Denver Nuggets tickets that Anthony does, but the organization can net itself some young talent and cap space that could put the franchise in a solid position moving forward.

Anthony has named the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls as his short list of preferred destinations. Normally that wouldn't matter much to a team being forced to trade their star player, but in this case it does. Anthony is slated to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, which will certainly deflate his value to a team that isn't sure he'll re-up with them. This is why Anthony actually holds the cards in this particular situation, because his agreeing to an extend-and-trade would make him much more valuable and, in turn, improve the package that the Nuggets can receive in return. Therefore, the Knicks and Bulls have to be considered the favorites to land Anthony right now.

The Knicks can offer a package that would include the expiring contract of Eddy Curry, Wilson Chandler and either Danilo Gallinari or Anthony Randolph. Gallinari is a sharpshooting three with good size and a lot of promise, while Randolph is an ultra-athletic forward with almost unlimited upside. Such a deal would give the Nuggets a promising young player, a decent young player in Chandler and a solid chunk of cap relief next summer. The only problem here is that the Knicks don't have any first-round draft picks to offer Denver, which could be a sticking point in any deal.

As for the Bulls, word is that they're dead-set against including center Joakim Noah in any deal, which could end up killing trade talks. However, if the Nuggets were willing to accept small forward Luol Deng as the centerpiece of a deal, some headway could be made. Denver is reportedly not interested in taking on the remainder of Deng's contract, but he's probably be the best immediate replacement for Melo that the Nuggets will find on the market. The Bulls could include some picks, but any first-rounders would probably be fairly late in the round.

One team that could get into the mix is the New Jersey Nets. Melo hasn't listed them as a preferred destination, but one would think he'd be open to agreeing to an extend-and-trade to go to New Jersey due to the organization's young nucleus and impending move to Brooklyn. The Nets could offer a better package than either of the two aforementioned teams if they were willing to part with prized rookie forward Derrick Favors. Favors has as much upside as any other player selected in the 2010 draft and would be a great piece for the Nuggets, a team that needs frontcourt help, to build around. The Nets could also include forward Troy Murphy and a number of draft picks in the deal. If Melo was to agree to an extend-and-trade to New Jersey, the Nuggets would have to take that deal.

Don't sleep on other potential suitors, such as the Houston Rockets, if the previous three teams were to bow out of the Melo sweepstakes, but keep in mind the weight that Anthony's impending free agency carries. The bottom line for the Nuggets is to get the best possible deal for the franchise, but they may have to placate their soon to be former star player in order to do so.

by: Pat Smith

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