Knicks, Carmelo Anthony talks about Nuggets’ trade with New York

Ten years after being traded to the New York Knicks in a blockbuster deal with the Denver Nuggets, Carmelo Anthony discussed the whirlwind of rumors during the All-Star hiatus on The Woj Pod:

Anthony had spent his first six NBA seasons with the Nuggets, but said he was initially supposed to be tackled before the 2010-11 season began.

“I should never have set foot in Denver before media day,” he said.

The 10-time All-Star noted that the Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers, and New Jersey Nets all had deals on the table before the Knicks got late.

The deal was eventually resolved in a conversation that took place at three in the morning.

“At this point we really have to make this decision, we have to understand it,” he said. “If New York is the right place, we might as well sit down, break the bread and find out and make it happen.”

Denver eventually sent the striker to New York on February 22, 2011 as part of a huge trade that brought Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and several first-round picks to the Nuggets.

The Knicks reached the playoffs that season after finishing with a record losing each of the previous six years. It was the first of three consecutive post-season appearances for the team, peaking with a 54-win season in 2012-13 that ended in a second-round defeat.

Anthony has also been the franchise’s biggest superstar since at least 2000 with six All-Star selections with the team, adding a scoring title around this time.