By: Tyler Ward
Well, Carmelo may finally get his wish. For the last few days, rumors have been swirling around involving a potential blockbuster four-team trade that would send Carmelo Anthony to the Nets, Andrei Kirilenko, Derrick Favors, and multiple first-round picks to the Nuggets, Boris Diaw to the Jazz, and Devin Harris to the Bobcats. But, how does this work out for every team involved?
- New Jersey Nets: All the Nets would receive in this deal would be Carmelo. They would be giving up Favors, Harris, and other picks just to get Carmelo. Is it worth it? I don't think so. If the Nets do the deal, they would have no starting point guard at all. Jordan Farmar and Ben Uzoh would most likely be the candidates to supplant Harris. If the Nets want to succeed in the Eastern Conference (even though they are still in a rebuilding phase), they would have to have a starting point guard. Farmar is a backup and I just don't think he can be a typical starter. They would also be giving up Favors, who some people consider the next Tim Duncan. The Nets don't have much depth at the front court, so giving up Favors (who has a lot of the potential) could end up being a mistake for the Nets. I just believe that if they get Anthony, they will still be in a rebuilding process until they add more decent players to the team. They just seem to be giving up too much to get one player.- Denver Nuggets: The Nuggets would probably get the best end of the deal. They would be getting Favors, who is in work in progress, but is still a good player at such a young age. He will add another big man presence to Denver, who already has Nene, Al Harrington, Kenyon Martin, and Chris Andersen, so Denver would be very good on the defensive side of the ball. Denver would also receive Andrei Kirilenko in the deal, who has shown time and time again that he can do well offensively and defensively. Kirilenko would most likely serve as a backup to either Al Harrington, J.R. Smith, or he could possibly even start. Not to mention, Denver would receive multiple first-round picks in the deal, so Denver could make bank off of this trade. When you add in players like Chauncey Billups, Ty Lawson, and Smith, the Nuggets could make some noise this season. Denver, in my opinion, would definitely get the most out of this trade.
- Charlotte Bobcats: It's a simple trade, but it's definitely an upgrade. Charlotte would end up giving up Diaw in the deal, but would get young point guard Devin Harris. The Bobcats lost Raymond Felton to the Knicks via free agency, so the Bobcats are vacant at the point guard position. D.J. Augustin would have been the starter, but has not showed that can be a "main guy" for Charlotte. If they could lay their hands on Harris, it would be a sure-fire upgrade for the Bobcats. Diaw has had a couple of decent seasons since being drafted in 2003, but he just isn't one of those players that you can build a team around. And with Diaw making $9 million this season alone, there's no way that Charlotte wouldn't want to do that trade. We could see Charlotte in the playoffs again this season, albeit a poor performance in last season's series when they faced off against the Orlando Magic. I think they can make a playoff run (#7 or #8 seed) and may win the first playoff game in the Bobcats' short history.
- Utah Jazz: It's a pretty much even deal for the Jazz in this situation. Utah would end up giving up defensive stud (and injury-plagued) Andrei Kirilenko in the deal, but would receive Diaw from Charlotte. It's not really an upgrade for Utah, but it's still something for Utah. I see the Jazz in a rebuilding process, too, so we may not see much out of the Jazz this upcoming season. Deron Williams and Al Jafferson are the main two bright spots on the team, and they cannot carry the load all by themselves. I would not expect the Jazz to make a playoff run this point and coach Jerry Sloan's career could be shortly coming to an end.
I'm actually anxious for this trade to happen. I don't know about ya'll, but I love when blockbuster trades go down (except when it involves one of my favorite players switching teams).
