The Lakers, particularly GM Mitch Kupchak, have spoken about potentially making a move to help shake things up for the two time defending champions. Carmelo Anthony has refused a contract extension in Denver, and it seems as though the Nuggets need to move him before the deadline to recoup some of his value. Do you see where I'm going with this?
The Lakers have reportedly begun preliminary discussions with the Denver Nuggets about trading for Carmelo Anthony, but there is no word about how far long those talks are. This is from the original report by ESPN's Chris Broussard.
"There have been discussions between the two teams," one of the sources said. "The Lakers are definitely an option."
What the Nuggets would want from the Nuggets in exchange for Anthony has not been reported, but one could assume that it would revolve around center Andrew Bynum. The Lakers would be losing some of their size, but they would also be moving a player with an injury history for one of the league's premier scorers just entering his prime.
There would have to be other players involved as well, but there is no word as to which players on the Lakers the Nuggets would covet in a deal. Broussard reports that the Nuggets would not be interested in Ron Artest or Lamar Odom, two large contracts that could help make the money match up. Without them, it would be hard to make a deal work between the two teams, and a third team might need to be brought in to help facilitate a trade.
We'll have all the news and updates about this rumor as it progresses in this StoryStream.