Forward Carmelo Anthony insists he wants to remain with the Nuggets for a long time.
Anthony, who can't become a free agent until 2011 at the earliest, recently became eligible for a contract extension, the three-year anniversary of when he signed his ongoing deal. "I want to stay here long term," Anthony said. "Yeah, I mean, if they presented me (this summer with a contract extension), I would consider that."
Indications, though, are the Nuggets, in these uncertain economic times and with Anthony two years away from possible free agency, likely would wait before considering a contract extension offer. Even Anthony said he's "pretty sure they (aren't) going to come to me this summer," but that he's "pretty sure they will look at it next summer."
Anthony, 25, signed a five-year, $79 million extension three years ago that kicked in at the start of the 2007-08 sesaon. Anthony, who will make $15.78 million next season and $17.15 million in 2010-11, can opt out of the final year of his contract, which would pay $18.52 million in 2011-12. But his opt-out summer of 2011 would become moot if he signs an extension before then.
Whenever negotiations start, Anthony will be doing it with a new agent. He dropped BDA Sports recently in favor of Creative Artists Agencies, where the head of basketball representation is Leon Rose. If that name sounds familiar, it's because Anthony and Cleveland star LeBron James now have the same agent.
"(Rose is) going to be the guy, and CAA is the agency," Anthony said. "It was just time to change, to go in a different direction. Those guys (Anthony worked with Bill Duffy and Calvin Andrews at BDA Sports) understood my decision... It's on a bigger scale. It's not just basketball. There's a lot of other stuff with film (Anthony was executive producer of the 2008 documentary "Tyson", on boxer Mike Tyson), everything I'm trying to do."
