Grading the Trade: A report card on the Knicks, Nuggets and Nets in wake of Carmelo Anthony deal

While much of the NBA was scattering to the four winds in the wake of All-Star weekend on Monday, the Knicks and Nuggets remained hard at work on a long-awaited deal for Carmelo Anthony and, finally, came to an agreement. The Nuggets sent Anthony to New York, along with Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter and Renaldo Balkman, taking back four players, all of whom are 26 or younger?Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari and Timofey Mozgov, plus draft picks.

Anthony is a marquee name for the Knicks, but New York had to give up quite a bit to get him?and thus the Knicks don?t come out of this deal with the best grade.

The Knicks grab all the hype and headlines with the addition of superstar Carmelo Anthony, but Sean Deveney says the Nuggets grade out better overall.

Knicks

Grade: C+

They got the star player they were hoping to get last summer and now have a legitimate 1-2 punch in Amare Stoudemire and Anthony. Billups also bolsters the team?s playoff chops. But pick through what remains of the Knicks roster, and there is a serious depth problem beyond Billups, rookie Landry Fields, Anthony and Stoudemire. And if the Knicks want to turn their Big Two into a trio in the future?say, with Deron Williams or Chris Paul?the trade-chip cupboard will be bare.

Nuggets

Grade: A

It was a long and sometimes ugly process, one that had fans in Denver itching for a resolution. But the Nuggets were patient and wound up taking in four talented young players on reasonable contracts, plus draft picks. And they did it in a nearly impossible situation?the entire NBA knew that Anthony wanted to go to New York and the Nuggets had few other trade options, but they were still able to wring four starting-caliber players out of the Knicks. The Nuggets are rebuilding, but they got the project off to a nice start.

Nets

Grade: B

No, they did not get Anthony, and in reality, they never had better than an outside shot. But they were a presence in the talks throughout, and did enough dabbling over the weekend to scare the Knicks into upping their offer for Anthony. That, as owner Mikhail Prokhorov noted, was a victory in itself. And though they remain well behind the Knicks in terms of star power, the Nets have established a true rivalry here?off the court, at least.

more football news more cricket news more golf news more baseball news more soccer news