Carmelo Anthony Spoke About His Trade to the New York Knicks on Dwayne Wade’s Podcast

Was the New York Knicks the only team that Carmelo Anthony wanted to leave the Denver Nuggets for?

Carmelo Anthony may not have forced himself to the New York Knicks at the 2011 trade deadline.

The former NBA star went on Dwayne Wade’s podcast, The Why With Dwayne Wade, and discussed his infamous trade request. “New York was never the place though,” Anthony said when asked about his demand. “People think that, like, I went in there and was like, “get me out of here” to Denver. Like that was never the case.”

If not New York for @carmeloanthony, then where? Tune in tomorrow to find out 🗽👀 pic.twitter.com/TdpOYSNDxP

— DWade (@DwyaneWade) February 13, 2024

Anthony was selected with the third overall pick in the 2003 by the Denver Nuggets in the same draft as Wade and LeBron James. They formed a friendship during their NBA careers. Anthony made three All-Star appearances during his first seven seasons with the team.

The landscape of the NBA changed during the 2010 offseason. Many players from 2003 teamed up. James and Chris Bosh joined Wade on the Miami Heat. Anthony entered the 2010-11 season with one more year left on his contract.

Many thought that Anthony had a strong desire to play for his hometown Knicks. After all, the Knicks went out and signed Amar'e Stoudemire during the 2010 offseason and made it known that they wanted to be competitive.

Anthony’s trade request came at the end of August 2010. He remained on the Nuggets for the first 50 games of the season. Anthony averaged 25.2 points during that stretch and was named to the All-Star game for the fourth time in his career.

It was initially reported that Anthony and his agents gave the Nuggets a list of teams that he would be interested in joining. Although the list was never made official, it was well-known that Anthony favored a move back to the New York area.

Anthony’s trade request was eventually fulfilled on February 22, 2011. The Knicks dealt multiple role players and future draft picks for Anthony. He signed a three-year extension after the trade. Anthony proceeded to be an All-Star in each of his six full seasons with the Knicks.

Anthony won a multitude of awards in 19 season by the time he hung up the tennis shoes. Even if his trade request wasn’t made to land him with the Knicks, Anthony still enjoyed a successful career.

Casey Fahrer is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at caseyfahrer716@gmail.com.

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