One day after the NBA All-Star weekend, Carmelo Anthony migrates to the East playing for the Big Apple. Will Carmelo and the New York Knicks be happy bunch of guys, considering there will be 6 new Knicks basketball players?
The Knicks blockbuster trade – probably the NBA trade of the year – involves 12 NBA players in the deal according to NBA.com.
To get Carmelo, the New York Knicks management is going all-out, sending Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari and the rookie Timofey Mozgov to Denver in exchange for Carmelo Anthony, the veteran Chancey Billups, Anthony Carter, Shelden Williams and ex-Knicks Renaldo Balkman. To add, the Knicks will also send the future draft picks – first round pick of 2014 and second round draft picks in 2012 and 2013 – plus $3 million in cash.
Minnesota is also involved in the 12-player deal (a separate deal, though,) by sending Corey Brewer to New York for Eddy Curry (expiring contract,) Anthony Randolph and also $3 million in cash.
For Denver, the trade seems like a good trade. Losing Carmelo will lose the Nuggets some ticket sales, but all in all, they are actually losing one problem from the team. They no longer need to shop around to get Carmelo traded because he rejected the contract extension. Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari are a bunch of good, young NBA ballers who will help the Nuggets to look into the future.
The New York Knicks are actually doing a somewhat good job this season with 28 wins and 26 losses, but they definitely want to do more that that – hence the trade. Will this trade help them improve their win percentage? Only time will tell how well those 6 new guys gel in Knicks basketball system – especially the chemistry between Carmelo and Amar’e Stoudemire (so far, the Knicks management is not really doing a great job in making things work – remember the issues with Steve Francis, Stephon Marbury and some other superstars some years ago?)
Fingers crossed.