Carmelo Anthony disclosed during Dwyane Wade’s The Why Podcast that the Denver Nuggets came close to sending him to the Los Angeles Lakers instead of the New York Knicks. Anthony mentioned that the deal was essentially sealed, but the Nuggets’ ownership had a change of heart, preferring not to see their star player remain in the Western Conference. This revelation is expected to grab headlines, particularly as Anthony reiterated that he never formally requested a trade away from Denver. When it became apparent that he would be moved, one of the proposed deals involved him going to Los Angeles in exchange for Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum.
Had the trade materialized, it would have positioned Anthony, during his prime, alongside players he had recently faced in the conference finals, namely Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, for Denver’s main rival, the Lakers. This potential trade could have significantly altered NBA history. While Anthony only managed to win one playoff series for the remainder of his career after leading the Nuggets to the conference finals, Bryant himself only secured two more playoff series victories at that point in time. Had the trade gone through, Anthony and Bryant might have performed better against the Mavericks, who swept the Lakers, and the emerging Thunder the following year. Additionally, the trade would have likely prevented Dwight Howard from joining the Lakers in exchange for Bynum, who would have been with the Nuggets. Consequently, Steve Nash probably wouldn’t have ended up in Los Angeles either. Overall, this could have prolonged Bryant’s career and provided Anthony with a better chance to succeed in the Western Conference compared to the East, where Wade, LeBron James, and Chris Bosh were dominating with the Miami Heat. Anthony eventually won a scoring title in New York and remained a perennial All-Star, while Bryant’s window of opportunity might have been extended, and Anthony could have become a significant figure for the Lakers, inheriting the mantle from Bryant and passing it on to LeBron.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets would have missed out on the draft pick that led to acquiring Jamal Murray years later and would have ended up with older players like Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler instead of the young talents they eventually secured. Odom was in his 30s, and Bynum was just 25 at the time, but both were out of the league by the end of 2013.
Ultimately, everything turned out well for Denver, who won their first title in 2023-24, partially attributed to making the right decision regarding the Melo trade. Anthony later played alongside his friend LeBron James for the Lakers before retiring, completing a full circle of sorts.
