The New York Knicks have swapped teams with the Denver Nuggets after what seemed like an eternity, allowing them to obtain prized superstar Carmelo Anthony.
Guard Carmelo Anthony once battled with the Knicks, but now will swap uniforms after the Dennver Nuggets traded him away to the New York Knicks on Monday night.
The New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves completed a three-team trade late Monday night, and the blockbuster deal that has been mere speculation up until this point became official Tuesday morning.
The Knicks obtained Chauncey Billips, Sheldon Williams, Anthony Carter and former first round pick (2006; 20) Renaldo Balkman from the Denver Nuggets. The Knicks sent over starters Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari and Timofey Mozgov along with Wilson Chandler to the Nuggets as well as a 2014 first-round pick.
Along with the first-round pick the Nuggets will also receive (at press time) a second-round and a third-round pick from the Minnesota Timberwolves, plus $3 million in cash. The Knicks also sent Eddy Curry and Anthony Randolph to Minnesota in exchange for Corey Brewer.
Even though the Knicks had to strip the depth of their roster to obtain Anthony the positives certainly outweigh the negatives. The only key losses in this deal (other than the draft picks) are Raymond Felton, because of his versatility this season; former first-round pick (2008; 6) Danilo Gallinari; and the 7’1 “rookie” (yet he’s been playing since 2004 in Russia) Timofey Mozgov. If Gallinari and Mozgov stay at the skill level they are currently playing at, the Knicks will have no trouble forgetting their departure. But these players still have tremendous potential, while Carmelo Anthony has reached a plateau with his skill.
By obtaining Carmelo Anthony, however, the Knicks have gained an advantage greater than the players they traded away. New York looks much more attractive with two superstars compared to one (Amare Stoudemire). And even though the Knicks have their stars, they’re still looking at finishing in the same position now that they were going to finish in before the trade was made. It’s certainly not what Knick fans want to hear, but when you strip an entire team to make a trade, you’re bound to have some negative backlash.
This trade was made for the future of the organization. The Knicks need to finish this year to clear them of any expiring contracts and to gather themselves in the offseason and plan their next moves. Next year they need to obtain a reliable, yet cheap, supporting cast.
With a new Collective Bargaining Agreement taking place there is no certainty in how much the Knicks can spend and how much room they’ll have to work with, but they’re pushing to obtain a third superstar in the next star-studded free agency offseason (following the 2012-2013 season). They may have their eyes on only one person, too – Chris Paul.
But for now the Knicks aren’t worrying about getting Paul, or about who will add to the depth of their roster, who will come in the future or how much money they’re restricted to spend.
For now, the Knicks are celebrating a trade that could have and should have been made months ago. Half the basketball season was spent talking about where Carmelo Anthony would end up. Finally, we have an answer: it’s where he always wanted to be and where everyone figured he would end up, in New York. It just took three months longer than necessary.
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