Once again, what was thought to be a surefire deal sending Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets to the New Jersey Nets appears to be eroding.
On Sunday, the AP reported that talks between the two teams about a trade that would send Anthony and guard Chauncey Billups to New Jersey were "advancing."
Details of the proposed trade were not known, but the basic premise was for the Nuggets to send Anthony and Billups to New Jersey in exchange for guard Devin Harris, rookie forward Derrick Favors, and two first round draft picks. One of those draft picks was reportedly to come from the Detroit Pistons, who would take on expiring contracts as a part of the deal.
However, just two days later, Yahoo Sports is reporting that the talks between New Jersey and Denver have soured, thanks to the Nets' leaking of information to the press.
Before resuming trade talks for Carmelo Anthony on Monday, the Denver Nuggets delivered a stern warning to the New Jersey Nets: Unless the public nature of these trade discussions becomes private, be warned that we will send Anthony to the New York Knicks.Nothing else the Nuggets could've said would send such chills of unease through the Nets, and that's why Denver made the threat, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski's sources said that the Nuggets' impatience with New Jersey's leaks will likely delay, but not kill the trade proposal.
Seemingly affirming that report, Nets coach Avery Johnson also told the AP he didn't expect any roster changes during the team's four-game road trip, which begins on Tuesday.
However, ESPN's Chris Broussard reports (see video below) that the Nuggets may be encouraged to trade Anthony sooner, rather than later because the mood in the team's locker room has soured thanks to consistent trade rumors.
Anthony has been the subject of trade rumors since this summer, when he declined to sign the three-year, $65 million contract extension the Nuggets offered. New Jersey has been one of the most persistently-mentioned trading partners. Before either team opened training camp, reports widely indicated that the teams had agreed in principle to a trade, but the deal was nixed at the last second.
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