ESPN Hypothetical - Carmelo Anthony to Houston in an 18-player, four-team deal

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=PERDiem-110210

Look, all these two- and three-team deals are fun and all, but if Anthony is going to change teams it's probably gonna be big and complicated. This deal would be the biggest in league history, for instance, and there are actually offshoots of it that would get even bigger; Chauncey Billups, for instance, would be a logical next domino from Denver's side but I couldn't squeeze him into this one. Better yet, if this trade happened, there's a 26.3 percent chance that Marc Stein's BlackBerry would spontaneously combust.

The deal I'm proposing would improve all four teams. Houston, obviously, gets Melo and a free dice-roll on his willingness to stay. To help with that decision the trade imports former Nugget teammate Marcus Camby and sharpshooting guard Mo Williams from Cleveland. To help out the Nuggets, Houston takes on Al Harrington's contract and sends Chase Budinger, Patrick Patterson and Yao Ming's insured contract to Denver. The Rockets also send disgruntled guard Aaron Brooks and backup center Jordan Hill to Portland and move high-scoring guard Kevin Martin to Cleveland.

The Nuggets walk away with four solid young pieces (Budinger, Patterson, Rudy Fernandez and Elliot Williams) plus a ton of cap relief from dumping Harrington on Houston, Kenyon Martin on Cleveland and J.R. Smith and Chris Andersen on Portland; the deal actually puts Denver under the tax line.

Cleveland takes on money in the short term by adding Kenyon Martin and Joel Przybilla but in the long term cleans its books of Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison and starts rebuilding around native Ohioan Kevin Martin.

And the Blazers rebuild their frontcourt with Jordan Hill, Jamison and Andersen; Jamison would team with LaMarcus Aldridge in a smallball frontcourt. Portland has played its best this season with Aldridge at center anyway. Smith replaces Fernandez as a gunner off the bench and provides insurance if Brandon Roy can't play, Brooks becomes the sixth man energizer behind Andre Miller. The Blazers would also send Przybilla and Sean Marks to Cleveland to make the numbers work.

Obviously the big question with this deal is whether Houston would be willing to give up so many of its young assets without Anthony's name on an extension. But if the Rockets would, the deal looks a win for everyone else.

 

oh sorry. lock if posted. i didn't see it when i posted this.

i HATE the trade anyway and am glad it is hypothetical.