A source told Kate Fagan of the Philadelphia Inquirer the Philadelphia 76ers are “not in any discussions at all” to land All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets. Why? Because, says Fagan, “the franchise believes it has no real shot at Anthony,” as he would refuse to sign a contract extension with it next summer. Because Anthony can become a free agent after this season, he does have some say in determining where he winds up via trade, as he can simply indicate that he would not commit to his new team long-term. And no team, especially not the 76ers, wants to give up too many assets for a one-year rental of Anthony.
Essentially, Fagan’s report shoots down the rumor Ken Berger of CBS Sports started earlier this week when he wrote the 76ers and Nets had entered the bidding for Anthony, and speculated that a three-way trade between Denver, New Jersey, and Philadelphia could benefit all parties involved.
Anthony, 26, has made three All-Star appearances in his seven-year career, and has the fifth-highest scoring average of all active players with 24.7 points per game.