The Mellow Sounds of the NBA Offseason

While this NBA offseason has been anything but peaceful and relaxing, there is still something 'Melo about it.  That would be the fact that Carmelo Anthony is going to leave Denver one way or another.  It's possible that the Nuggets may try to keep their current roster intact for one more title run, but they risk letting Anthony walk in free agency the following summer and receive nothing in return.

On the Move

More likely is that the Nuggets will see this dilemma as an opportunity to start from scratch.  No NBA fan wants to hear that about their team, but the franchises that realize when it is time to start over are the ones that spend the least amount of time picking in the lottery.  Every team goes through transitions, and the best way to ease through them is to maximize your assets.

Trading Anthony could net some very nice players/draft picks in return, and if he is certain to defect in a year, the Nuggets may as well leverage his worth into future building blocks for their franchise.  They do not currently have the pieces on their roster to defeat the Lakers, Heat, Magic, or Celtics, so they may as well implode the roster.

Dealing Anthony leaves the question of what to do with Chauncey Billups who would likely not want to participate in a rebuilding process at this stage in his career.  Billups could also be trade bait, and while he would not fetch the same return as Anthony, teams are always looking for a good point guard and the Nuggets could obtain solid players in exchange for the savvy veteran.

Though I wouldn't be entirely surprised if teams like the Mavericks, Lakers, Trailblazers, or Bulls at least inquire about Anthony, the following teams are rumored to be preferred destinations: the Nets, Knicks, Warriors, Clippers, Rockets, and Magic.  Let's take a look how Anthony could possibly land in these spots.

New Jersey Nets: With young assets to deal in return and likely another high draft choice, the Nets could make an enticing offer for Anthony.  (The only issue is that once they have Carmelo they will win many more games, thus devaluing the draft picks they could send to Denver.)  Perhaps Devin Harris, Terrence Williams, and two first round picks could pry Anthony loose.  That would leave the Nuggets with a very talented young point guard, a nice role player in Williams, and some picks to play with.  The Nuggets could also then deal Billups for a position of need.  The Nets meanwhile would have an imposing frontcourt of Carmelo, third overall pick Derrick Favors, and rising star Brook Lopez.

New York Knicks: This seems to be the trendy guess of where Anthony will land, but I'm not sure the Knicks have enough on their end to complete a trade.  Maybe a package of Raymond Felton, Danilo Galinari, Ronny Turiaf, and Kelena Azubuike could be enough to land Anthony, but the Nuggets would have to be desperate to move him for this to work.  These are promising players from the Knicks, but none of them are surefire difference makers.  The Knicks meanwhile would get the superstar tandem they have been looking for with Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, but they would have no supporting cast and no defense.  It would be a start though for hungry Knick fans, and perhaps they could add a third star next offseason.

Golden State Warriors: This team has a lot of individual pieces.  Monta Ellis is a prolific scorer, averaging over 25 points per game last year.  A package of Ellis and sixth pick Ekpe Udoh might be enough for the Nuggets to pull the trigger on an Anthony deal.  That would leave the Warriors with Stephen Curry, Anthony, and David Lee.  That lineup doesn't have the makes of a title contender, but it could easily be a playoff team with a ton of upside.  The Nuggets meanwhile would get a young slasher in Ellis and a great athlete with upside in Udoh.

Los Angeles Clippers: Eric Gordon has been proving his value in the FIBA Championships and his stock is rising.  Gordon alone would likely not be enough to land Anthony, but he would be the central piece in any deal.  Perhaps Chris Kaman and Gordon would do the trick, but the Clippers would be giving away a lot of production.  Still, if you can land a true superstar you should probably do it.  The Nuggets might like this deal because it could keep them competitive with their current roster.  Billups could stay and form a nice backcourt with Gordon, while Kaman would be a very nice inside presence.

Houston Rockets: Yao Ming is not trade bait because no team would take a chance on his injury-plagued body.  Kevin Martin may be the most tradable though, capable of scoring 20 per game in an efficient manner.  Perhaps he, Courtney Lee, and some draft picks could interest the Nuggets.  Houston would then have Aaron Brooks, Anthony, Luis Scola, and Yao (if healthy) as their core.  This would not be a great deal for Denver but it gives them something.

Orlando Magic: To me this is the most interesting potential landing spot, but also the hardest to work out.  The Magic's best tradable asset is Jameer Nelson, which means the Nuggets would likely have to move Billups too to make room for Nelson.  Rashard Lewis is an OK player but has a huge contract.  Vince Carter could provide some production and an expiring contract, but overall the Magic just don't seem like a financially feasible trade option.

Remember that Anthony does not have a no-trade clause, but it is in the interest of all parties that he goes to a place where he will be content; it just makes the logistics of the trade easier. So Anthony has some leverage, and ultimately we may see Carmelo in NYC, simply because that is where he wants to be.

--from Adam

(Image from coloradosportsdesk.com)