With the Nets out of the way, New York has resumed its calm, cool, and collected pursuit of Carmelo Anthony, but are hitting the same roadblock they have since the beginning: Denver doesn’t want hardly anything the Knicks have to offer.
From The New York Post:A deal with the Nuggets appears to be, according to one source familiar with the situation, “problematic.” But Knicks president Donnie Walsh still has a backup plan -- hoping Carmelo Anthony becomes a free agent, and the two teams working on a sign-and-trade during the summer.
A 1050 ESPN New York report stated the Knicks have been rejected by Denver on an offer this week of Wilson Chandler, rookie Landry Fields and a first-round pick the Knicks presumably can obtain for Anthony Randolph. If the report has merit, Eddy Curry’s expiring contract would have been included in the package.
“Donnie doesn’t want to give up five pieces in this,” one source said.
via New York Knicks trade for Denver Nuggets Carmelo Anthony could be problematic - NYPOST.com.
Man, if only the Knicks had an expiring contract beyond Curry, some young talent and some draft picks. Oh, wait, they did.
I’m not saying Jared Jeffries and Jordan Hill along with their 2012 pick would have been enough for Denver in conjunction with the Knicks’ other components, and everything would have altered had that deal not been struck. But those picks were costly then, and they’re costly now. But the Knicks still have the upper hand because at the end of the day, should Anthony genuinely want New York, and all indications are that he does, to the degree of ignoring other teams, he’ll have the chance to opt-out and sign there this summer.
But with other teams still drifting around the margins, Donnie Walsh may continue to quietly solicit whatever conversations he can get with an increasingly desperate Massai Ujiri.