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After months of speculation and anticipation, the Denver Nuggets finally pulled the trigger on a trade to send the Brooklyn native to New York in a nine-player deal on Monday night.
The Nuggets get forward Wilson Chandler, guard Raymond Felton, forward Danilo Gallinari, center Timofey Mozgov, the Golden State Warriors' 2012 and 2013 second-round picks, the Knicks' 2014 first-round draft pick plus $3 million in cash.
In exchange the Knicks receive guard Chauncey Billups, forward Shelden Williams, guard Anthony Carter, forward Renaldo Balkman and Anthony, who will co-star with offseason acquisition Amar'e Stoudemire in a move that New York fans hope will make the Knicks an instant playoff contender.
"I think it's a pretty even trade and you could even make an argument Denver got the best of this deal," Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, told us Monday night. "The Knicks gave up an awful lot. They kind of gutted their team."
The Sports Club is a consultant group that sets lines for a large number of Nevada's sportsbooks. Korner had the Knicks at +5000 to win the NBA championship before the trade and said he might lower that number to +3000 but wouldn't drop it any further because of who the Knicks would have to get by in the East to even make it to the Finals.
"I don't think New York improved that much. They're certainly not better than the big teams like Boston, Miami and Orlando in the East," Korner said.
The trade, which has dragged out for months while the Nuggets also negotiated with the New Jersey Nets, will not become official until the NBA approves the deal, which could happen as soon as Tuesday.
Denver hosts Memphis Tuesday night, but oddsmakers have yet to set a line for the game. It's uncertain if any of the Nuggets' new players will be available for Tuesday's tip off and there are rumors floating around that Denver might flip at least one of its newly acquired players to another team.
The Knicks are at home to Milwaukee on Wednesday.
