Reply With Quote
Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups winding up in New Jersey with Carmelo.
Updated: January 9, 2011, 5:27 PM
Sources: Nets, Nuggets 'further along'
By Chris Broussard and Marc Stein
ESPN.com
The New Jersey Nets' attempts to acquire Denver's Carmelo Anthony are "further along" than any trade scenario that has been discussed since their near-acquisition of Anthony in late September, according to sources close to the negotiations.
Anthony
A three-team deal involving the Detroit Pistons that would include at least 15 players -- with Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups winding up in New Jersey with Anthony -- could be completed as soon as this week, sources said.
The primary elements of the scenario currently on the table, sources said, call for New Jersey to acquire Anthony, Billups and Hamilton; Denver to land Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, Anthony Morrow and at least two first-round picks; and Detroit to acquire Troy Murphy and Johan Petro.
Other players with smaller contracts would have to be included to make the salary-cap math work.
One key to the advancing nature of negotiations, sources said, is the Nets' and Nuggets' willingness to complete a trade without asking Detroit to surrender a first-round pick.
When the talks involving Detroit as a potential third-team facilitator were first reported Friday night by the Bergen Record of New Jersey, sources told ESPN.com that the Pistons were balking largely because they were being asked to surrender a first-rounder.
Yet sources said one of the remaining potential snags is New Jersey's insistence that the Pistons absorb the contract of Petro.
The Pistons do not want to take back Petro, even though shedding Hamilton's contract in exchange for Murphy and the Nets' center would represent an overall savings of roughly $17 million.
Sources say Detroit's stance on Petro has prompted New Jersey to begin looking for a fourth team that might be willing to take on the 24-year-old big man.
The Nets turned to Detroit to help seal their months-long pursuit of Anthony after attempts to rope in Cleveland, Minnesota and Portland as a third-team facilitator failed to progress.
Any trade for Anthony, however, still hinges on the All-Star forward's willingness to sign a three-year, $65 million extension with the Nets as part of the transaction in what is known as an extend-and-trade. The Boston Celtics got the same extend-and-trade commitment from Kevin Garnett when they acquired him from Minnesota in July 2007.
The Nets have made it clear that they will not agree to an Anthony deal without getting his signature on an extension a la Garnett. ESPN.com reported last month that the Nets plan to request permission -- and have already been told they will receive it -- to meet with Anthony face-to-face if a trade agreement is eventually struck with Denver. That would allow owner Mikhail Prokhorov and part-owner Jay-Z to lead a Nets contingent that would try to lobby the Brooklyn-born Anthony directly on the team's future, with the Nets planning to move to Brooklyn in time for the 2012-13 season.
The Nets long ago committed to send prized rookie Favors, former All-Star Harris and at least two first-round picks to the Nuggets in exchange for Anthony.
But New Jersey has been attempting to find a third team to help facilitate the blockbuster deal for Anthony that they've been chasing since the September collapse of a four-team swap involving Charlotte and Utah.
One source close to the situation insisted Sunday that the Nets -- optimistic as this sounds -- believe a face-to-face meeting with Prokhorov won't even be necessary to get Anthony's signoff if New Jersey can indeed acquire Billups and Hamilton. It was not immediately clear, though, how Denver native Billups' reported desire to seek a buyout if he's traded by his hometown team to the Nets would affect Anthony's stance.
What did seem clear Sunday is that the talks have taken on their most serious tone since the negotiations in February that would have landed Harris in Charlotte and Jazz veteran Andrei Kirilenko in Denver.
The New York Knicks remain Anthony's strongly preferred destination, sources say, but Denver has shown little interest in the Knicks' assets (such as Wilson Chandler, Landry Fields and Danilo Gallinari) and have been negotiating almost exclusively with the Nets for weeks.
With Favors and a cache of first-round picks it can move, New Jersey has a far more attractive war chest of trade assets. It likewise appears the Nets will not abandon their pursuit of Anthony until they're told directly by the All-Star forward that he would not sign an extension with them, which is the message some sources close to the process still believe New Jersey will get, as reported in December by ESPN.com's Chris Sheridan.
Nets officials, though, have remained quietly confident for months that Anthony, born in Brooklyn, ultimately would agree to the extension -- no matter how much he'd prefer to play in New York -- to ensure that he locks in his contract before labor negotiations this summer that are expected to establish a much more restrictive financial landscape in the league.
One source close to the talks said Sunday afternoon that the deal could be clinched if the Nets can find a fourth team willing to absorb Petro's salary. Detroit has been restricted in its attempts to make roster moves in recent months because of the team's pending sale, but sources told ESPN.com on Friday that the Pistons would be very interested if a trade scenario developed where they only had to surrender Hamilton and take back Murphy.
The Nets and Nuggets, meanwhile, have not stopped looking for other teams beyond Detroit that would be interested in joining the trade, since Denver does not have a strong need for Harris with young guard Ty Lawson on the roster. New Jersey and Denver have likewise continued to discuss trade possibilities with the Nuggets that don't involve any other teams.
Chris Broussard covers the NBA for ESPN The Magazine. Marc Stein in a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com.
Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups winding up in New Jersey with Carmelo.
Last edited by Darth_Pelican; 01-09-2011 at 07:02 PM.
2003-04 Detroit Pistons moving to Brooklyn.
With no defense.
someone tell me when a deal is done. I'm totally confused with everything going on with the trade, it changes everyday
Detroit gettin' F'ed in the A.
Per the usual.
Huge gamble for Prokohrov or whatever to go this route. I think he's pretty confident he can sell the idea that the Nets are moving to a new stadium Brooklyn in a few years time, but if everything doesn't go according to plan, they are resetting back their the lowest of the low if Melo decides to leave anyway.
Harris and Favors instead of just looking how Carmella leaves next summer for nothing...thats huge for Denver
agreed it is a huge gamble, but from what i heard all season long, Nets will only do a deal if Melo agrees to sign a extension, so I'm hoping if a trade goes down that means he agreed
PG Chauncey Billups
SG Richard Hamilton
SF Carmelo Anthony
They're going to Jersey Shore!
Carmelo Anthony: "I'm the sweetest you're ever gonna meet."
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_yl...onstalks010711Nets ‘real close’ to landing Anthony
By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports
30 minutes ago
The New Jersey Nets are nearing an agreement on a three-team trade to acquire Denver Nuggets All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony(notes), league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
“It’s real close,” one source with knowledge of the talks said.
The Nets are nearing agreement on the component of the trade that exchange Troy Murphy(notes) for Detroit Pistons guard Richard Hamilton(notes), sources said. The teams are still negotiating whether Nets center Johan Petro(notes), who has two years and $6.75 million left on his contract after this season, will be included, but that isn’t expected to unravel the overall deal. The Pistons are too motivated to unload the remaining two years and $25 million on Hamilton’s contract for Murphy’s $12 million expiring deal.
The New York Knicks remain Anthony’s preferred destination, but Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri has told Knicks president Donnie Walsh that his team doesn’t have the assets Denver wants. When Walsh has asked Ujiri to provide him with a list of the Nuggets’ desires, whether it be draft picks or specific players from other teams, sources said Ujiri has been unresponsive.
Anthony’s agent, Leon Rose, has been the driving force behind bringing Hamilton into the talks, league sources said. Rose, also represents Hamilton, and sources said he pushed Nets GM Billy King to bring the Pistons into trade talks with New Jersey and the Nuggets. Anthony has wanted the Nets to upgrade their roster upon his arrival for him to sign a three-year, $64 million contract extension.
“Leon is driving this one,” one front-office executive told Yahoo! Sports on Friday night.
[Rewind: Controversial guest booed at Anthony’s wedding]
With Anthony’s agent so heavily involved in brokering particular players in the deal, the Nets are working under a belief that a proposed package to bring them Hamilton and Denver’s Chauncey Billups(notes) would be sufficient to sell Anthony on joining them over his preferred destination, the New York Knicks.
Rose and William Wesley of CAA have long wanted to get Anthony and another of their clients, New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul(notes), to the Nets as the franchise prepares for a move to Brooklyn, N.Y. For now, Rose is pushing hard to get a suitable package together for Denver to get his client off a team he longer wants to play for.
As part of a package that would bring them Anthony and Billups for Derrick Favors(notes), Devin Harris(notes) and multiple first-round picks, New Jersey proposed sending the Pistons Murphy and Petro for Hamilton and Detroit’s 2011 first-round draft pick. Detroit rejected the overture, and sources said the Nets have since backed off their request for the pick and are also trying to find another home for Petro.
The availability of Hamilton has been known for months, and yet the Nets only now finally reached out about including him in the Anthony deal. This could suggest that Rose is more enthusiastic about adding Hamilton than King and Nets coach Avery Johnson.
[Photo: See Carmelo’s wild BET awards ensemble]
The Record of Hackensack, N.J., first reported that New Jersey had engaged Detroit in the talks on Friday.
Most league executives are dubious that Anthony would believe Billups and Hamilton, ages 34 and 32, respectively, would be tantalizing. Nevertheless, Denver has shown little interest in negotiating a trade with New York, and it believes Anthony doesn’t want to risk free agency this offseason when a new labor agreement could cost him tens of millions of dollars in guaranteed money.
As Yahoo! Sports first reported on Dec. 14, the Nets want the chance to use Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov to personally sell Anthony on signing a contract extension.
Billups / Farmar / Carter
Hamilton
Melo
Kris Humphries (really coming on strong now)
Brook Lopez
They have Hamilton (32) coming off the books in 2 years. They have Billups (34) coming off the books the year before, the same year as Chris Paul if he decides to leave 17 million on the table. That's the same summer of Dwight Howard. So the Nuggets contend right now for a top-five spot in the East, and have a chance to upgrade when Joe Dumars' former nucleus is ready to leave town.
Maybe they have just Farmar/Carter instead of Billups if he really doesnt want to play for the Nets.
wtf does Detroit get in this deal exactly?
maybe lakers will shed some trashes to denver and take harris to staples
Shred RIPs sucking contract
David Stern thinks the NBA is strong? What kind of league is it where stars look to be traded to ty teams just so they don't have to be in a city? The NBA is going to be 6 teams, and everyone outside those 6 markets will just stop watching. It's gonna happen.
Dumping Rip Hamilton's 2 years and $25 million left on the remainder of his contract after this season for an expiring contract. I'm fine with that as long as it's true that they refuse to surrender a first round pick.
this is like Tom Brady demanding a trade to the Raiders
1) Great move for DET who is hamstrung with a bad team and bad contracts
2) They actually get a player back who is useful this season as well.
Avery hates Devintrading him for the 2nd time.
naw, he'll quit the Nets job and join Detroit shortly, he loves devin and loves him foreverAvery hates Devin
isn't devin going with favors to Denver, if Avery is going to quit and follow Devin he might want to know what team Devin is going too first
Detroit is trying to negotiate for a 1st-round pick. Tell me that Hamilton (13.5 ppg, 2.5 apg, 2.2 rpg in 26.0 mpg) is worth a 1st-rounder and a starting power forward. Hamilton, who is signed for the next two years, is now a basketball luxury with Austin Daye (11.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg, and 1.7 apg in games where he plays more than 20 minutes), Tracy McGrady (11.3 ppg, 8.0 apg, and 5.0 rpg in December), and Ben Gordon (signed a 6-year, 60 million dollar contract) on the team. The Pistons, in the short term, have another body (11.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.6 apg over his career) on a very small frontline. I'd even pencil him in as a starter if this deal went down (with Charlie Villanueva and Greg Monroe off the bench). In the short term, the Pistons are 2 back in the loss column for the 8th playoff seed (24 losses). If the Pistons play well with Murphy, they could make the playoff for the first time since 2009.
Murphy is due for 12.1 million off the books in 2011 offseason. Tayshaun Prince will be gone for 11.1 million. Rodney Stuckey (restricted) and Jonas Jerebko will be free agents as well and will need to be re-signed. Assuming they waive both Prince and Murphy to lose them for nothing, they would be able to re-sign Jerebko, Stuckey, and have room for a 10-million-dollar free agent like Marc Gasol.
Last edited by Darrin; 01-09-2011 at 08:49 PM.
So Avery is going to get fired from NJ, wait a couple years become the coach of Denver and claim that he was not the one who wanted to traded Devin for a 2nd time and that Devin is his guy
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
