Welcome to the NBA, where the only thing separating your franchise from adding a superstar is Eddy Curry‘s expiring contract.
The Knicks and Nuggets are engaged in talks about a three-way deal involving the Timberwolves that would send Carmelo Anthony to New York. Initial discussions involve the Nuggets acquiring Wilson Chandler from the Knicks and Corey Brewer from the Timberwolves, and New York shipping Anthony Randolph and Curry to Minnesota. (The latter is particularly important because the Knicks need to dump Curry’s $11 million contract to bring Anthony aboard.)
Chandler’s health — he’s experiencing discomfort in his surgically repaired left ankle, according to the New York Daily News — is a sticking point for the Nuggets, who actually had a better deal on the table from the Nets a few weeks ago before the negotiations fizzled. But now Denver is two weeks away from watching Anthony walk away in the offseason via free agency, and they have to get something in return.
Unlike the Cavaliers — who were a No.?1 seed entering the playoffs last season and could not, under any circumstances, admit defeat by trading away LeBron James — the Nuggets, currently seventh in the Western Conference playoff race, have to move Anthony. He won’t sign an extension in Denver and the Nuggets aren’t a serious title contender.
So it comes down to the Knicks — to Chandler’s ankle and Curry’s contract — or another team with a better deal (Lakers?) to make this work. As with most NBA deals, this blockbuster has less to do with the star than the pieces around him.
