With the Nets and Nuggets having reached a “tentative agreement” on a trade, the Knicks have reportedly improved their offer to Denver for Carmelo Anthony.
According to Marc Spears, the Knicks’ offer now includes Danilo Gallinari, Ray Felton, Wilson Chandler, Eddy Curry and a first-round pick to be acquired later. The Nuggets would send Carmelo, Chauncey Billups and “fillers.”
The proposed deal would send Gallinari, point guard Raymond Felton, forward Wilson Chandler, Eddy Curry’s expiring contract and a first-round pick to the Nuggets for Anthony, point guard Chauncey Billups, Renaldo Balkman and Shelden Williams.
The Knicks have been reluctant to give up Gallinari, but now appear willing to do so after the Nuggets assembled the framework of a blockbuster trade with the New Jersey Nets in recent days. One league source confirmed a New York Daily News report that Knicks owner Jim Dolan had met with Anthony in Los Angeles.
Dolan “is doing everything he can to get him,” the source said.
The New York Daily News reports that although Donnie Walsh and Mike D’Antoni are not in favor of the trade, Knicks owner James Dolan could execute the deal as soon as today.
Dolan met with Melo on Thursday and the Knicks and Nuggets had a conference call yesterday. Mikhail Prokhorov released statement today stating that he has no plans to meet with Carmelo. Both the NY Times and Newsday report that Carmelo will not sign a contract extension if he is traded to the Nets.
All this is to say it’s likely that Melo will be a Knick before the February 24 deadline.
With All-Star, labor negotiations and the Carmelo Decision, the next 48 hours could be epic!
