It’s been over 12 years since the Nuggets agreed to trade Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks in exchange for four players, one first-round draft pick, two second-round draft picks, and $3 million in cash. The Knicks weren’t able to win a title with Melo at the helm, but the six and a half seasons that he spent in New York were full of plenty of great moments.
There are still some Knicks fans out there that are upset that New York traded for Melo in the first place, but Nuggets fans should be happy that the deal happened for one major reason. The pick swap that Denver got from New York in the Melo trade turned into the No. 7 overall pick in the 2016 draft — Jamal Murray.
Thanks in large part to Murray, the Nuggets secured their first NBA Finals berth by sweeping LeBron James and the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. Murray averaged 32.5 points while shooting 52.7% from the field and 40.5% from three.
Denver played the waiting game with Murray after he tore his ACL in April of 2021 and was out through the 2021-22 season. The guard believed that the Nuggets would trade him because he was “damaged goods” but head coach Michael Malone assured him that wouldn’t happen. Now, two years later, every Denver fan should be overjoyed that a Murray deal never came to fruition.
As the Denver Nuggets near a NBA Finals berth and Carmelo Anthony retires, this a reminder that they wouldn't be here today without him. Nuggets drafted Jamal Murray with the pick they received from the Knicks in the Carmelo trade – a pick swap into the No. 7 slot in 2016.
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) May 22, 2023
Nuggets drafted Jamal Murray thanks to the Carmelo Anthony trade with Knicks
Carmelo Anthony helped to put Nuggets basketball back on the map after Denver drafted him No. 3 overall in 2003. He averaged 24.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists during his time in Colorado from 2003-2011. Melo guided the Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals in 2009, where Denver ironically came up short against the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
Murray and the Nuggets were finally able to get their revenge against the Lakers 14 years later. If it weren’t for the Melo trade back in 2009, who knows where Denver would be? The Nuggets would still have two-time MVP Nikola Jokić, who is undoubtedly the best player on the team (and in the world), but Murray plays an important role, too.
Ironically enough, on the day that Melo announced his retirement, the Nuggets punched their NBA Finals ticket for the first time in franchise history. A year ago, Murray was wondering what his career would look like post-injury. Denver being patient with the guard that the organization drafted because of the Melo trade has paid off in ways that even the Nuggets likely never saw happening.
The Knicks got Melo, but five years after that, the Nuggets got Jamal Murray.
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