Denver Nuggets: 4 Greatest Trades In Franchise History
Of course we could not leave the Melo trade off this list
Denver Receive: Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Timofey Mozgov, Kosta Koufos, Raymond Felton, a 1st round draft pick and 2 2nd round draft picks.
New York Receive: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Sheldon Williams, Anthony Carter, Corey Brewer and Renaldo Balkman.
Minnesota Receive: Eddy Curry, Anthony Randolph and a 2nd round draft pick.
(2011)
Rumors of Carmelo Anthony wanting out of Denver first surfaced in the summer of 2010. What came next was six months of daily trade rumors and news in what became known as the ‘Melodrama.’
It gripped the city of Denver, as well as the entire sports landscape in America. The league watched, waited and even weighed in on what then Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri should do.
Anthony, a native of Baltimore, wanted to return to the east coast, and the New York market was his desired destination.
Lucky for the Nuggets, the New Jersey Nets were about to relocate to the brand new Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn and offered an alternative destination to the New York Knicks.
This allowed Ujiri to be picky. He was able to play the Nets and Knicks against each other as they bid higher and higher for Anthony.
The six month wait was worth it, as Masai Ujiri squeezed everything he possibly could have out of the deal, netting up-and-comers Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, big men Timofey Mozgov and Kosta Koufos and, a multitude of draft picks that culminated in the Nuggets swapping picks with the Knicks this year to select Jamal Murray.
The completion of the trade ushered in a new era in Denver, one that started with three successive trips to the playoffs and a franchise record 57 wins in 2012/13.
Ujiri had all the eyes in the league on him and he delivered something special. Very rarely does an NBA franchise trade away their All-NBA superstar and get better. However, Masai Ujiri accomplished that with the Carmelo Anthony trade and in doing so, saved the Nuggets from returning to the cellar of the Western Conference.
