Woj reports that the situation has reached a breaking point in Colorado:
“Carmelo Anthony wants out of Denver, and World Wide Wes delivered that message to the Nuggets with all the delicacy of a jackhammer at Sunday morning services. Do yourself a favor and trade him, the agent told the organization weeks ago. Denver was furnished with a short list of teams and told to get to work. Yes, this how William Wesley and Leon Rose of CAA work now, thick with threats and ultimatums and a swagger suggesting that the sport belongs to them. After Anthony told owner-in-waiting Josh Kroenke that he still wanted out of Denver during a Sunday meeting, the Nuggets appear done trying to sell their All-Star forward on a contract extension.
This wasn’t a productive, nor particularly pleasant, meeting and multiple sources said it could turn out to be the point of no return for Anthony and the organization. Sources insist it’s no longer a matter of if the Nuggets trade Anthony, but when, where and for whom he’s traded for.
“It’s almost a given they’re going to move him,” said a front-office executive who’s talked with the Nuggets and Anthony’s agents with CAA.
Between the agents’ bullying and Anthony’s dismissive disposition in Sunday’s meeting, sources said Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke, Josh’s father, finally made a stand with CAA.
Keep it up, and the Nuggets will never do a deal for one of your clients again.
Try to dictate terms of a trade and we won’t move him.
Keep up the heavy-handedness and you’ll get a war.Kroenke has decided to deal with CAA in a way most of the league is too fearful to try. Leon Rose, the agent who works with Wesley, backed down, sources said, and is willing to be more open-minded on potential trade destinations. Anthony wants to leave Denver and get his three-year, $65 million contract extension now. This partnership is rounding third and rapidly reaching disrepair. Denver is willing to trade Anthony, J.R. Smith(notes) and Kenyon Martin(notes), and start over again, sources said.”
