Denver closer to dealing Anthony?

Carmelo Anthony has made it pretty clear that he isn’t interested in playing for the Denver Nuggets beyond this year. He has had a three-year, $65 million contract extension on the table for months now, and he hardly seems to be even considering it.

But, for a while now, the Nuggets seem to be immune to the fact that he doesn’t want to be there. They have tried to hold out hope that they’ll be able to keep the scoring stud beyond this year when his contract runs out. Good luck with that.

However, sources familiar with the Nuggets thinking tell ESPN.com that the team is softening their stance on the idea of moving him while they can still get something in return. Makes sense, and they should have come to grips with this a long time ago.

“I’m not sure how soon, but I do think they’re going to trade him [between now and February],” said one rival GM.

Most league observers believe that an Anthony trade is really a matter of “when” and not “if.” We agree. He’s gone. No team would let him play out his contract this year and then let him walk via free agency.

The team most active in their pursuit? Apparently, it’s the New Jersey Nets. They are moving to Brooklyn and will have a new stadium to fill. Oh, and they currently stink on ice. They could use a superstar.

We were hesitant to put the NJ Nets part towards the top of this piece because he has been linked to about every team in the world at this point that isn’t in China.