Nuggets GM: Carmelo Anthony Is No. 1 Priority
The Denver Nuggets formally appointed Masai Ujiri the team's executive vice president of basketball operations on Friday, and Ujiri knows what priority No.1 is: how to deal with star forward Carmelo Anthony, who reportedly wants to be traded.
According to The Denver Post, Ujiri, who once worked in the Nuggets' international scouting department, has a solid relationship with Anthony. And he expressed confidence that there still was hope of keeping Anthony in Denver.
When asked by the Post if there was a chance Anthony would be with the team for the next several seasons, he replied, "Yes. He's a superstar in the league, and that's our priority. We want to keep Melo. We love Melo. That's all I can say."
Ujiri said he plans to meet with Anthony soon. The Nuggets have offered him a three-year, $65 million extension, but Anthony has given no indication he'll sign it, and Anthony's management team reportedly has gone to the Nuggets with a list of teams he'd like to be traded to.
"I'm going to visit with my team and we're going to address the whole situation," Ujiri told the Post. "I will meet with Melo and talk to Melo and we'll go from there. I know Melo has his frustrations, but we must not forget this was a Western Conference Finals team a year ago (in 2009)."
Team around the league have been calling the Nuggets to check the availability of Anthony. The Washington Post reported that the Wizards recently had discussions with Denver, but as one unnamed league source told the newspaper, that phone call was made by 29 teams.
One NBA team executive told the New York Post that the Nets have a legit shot at making a trade for Anthony, if the Nuggets decide to go that route, because they have enough young players and draft picks.