This announcement followed denials by Lakers management that they would consider trading starting center Andrew Bynum for Anthony and earlier statements made by the Minnesota Timberwolves, who would be the third team involved in a Knicks-Nuggets trade, that the terms of the rumored deal were not acceptable to them.
Speaking to reporters after a morning shootaround, Anthony expressed that if he wasn't moved before the Feb. 24 trade deadline, the contract extension was "something that I would take a real hard look at."
This pronouncement marked the first time Anthony had publicly stated he would consider signing the extension and staying with the Nuggets.
With trade rumors involving Anthony dominating NBA discussions in recent months, including a failed prolonged courtship involving the New Jersey Nets being the first widely discussed deal possibility to the currently rumored trades involving the Lakers and the Knicks, Anthony's statement struck many league observers as odd and ill-timed.
After all, the Nuggets have been so desperately trying to deal Anthony precisely because he had let them know that he will not sign their extension, it being widely accepted that he wishes to play for his hometown Knicks instead.
Rather than risk losing him to free agency with nothing in return, like what happened to the Cleveland Cavaliers last summer with LeBron James, the Nuggets have been entertaining offers from around the league, hoping to orchestrate...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
