"After a slow start to the Carmelo Anthony trade saga Saturday, things picked up again by the end of the night.

Although Anthony has given no indication he will sign the three-year, $65 million contract extension with the Nuggets to make the deal with the Nets, New Jersey was able to put in a last-ditch effort late Saturday night. According to a source, owner Mikhail Prokhorov was expected to meet with Anthony to try to sell him on signing the extension to play with the Nets, despite denials earlier in the day that a meeting would take place.

The Nets' deal is Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, Ben Uzoh, Troy Murphy and four first-round picks to the Nuggets. The Nuggets would send Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Melvin Ely and Renaldo Balkman to the Nets.

While a trade package with the Nets is what the Nuggets prefer, they are also weighing the Knicks' latest trade offer.

Major movement, or any official announcement, isn't expected until after all-star festivities. Commissioner David Stern does not want All-Star Weekend disrupted by a major trade.

"Listen, like I said, when something happens you'll be the first to know," Anthony said. "Until then, if you ask me the same questions, I'm going to keep giving the same answers. Until something happens, I'm right here."

The Knicks' offer of Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Eddy Curry and a first-round pick obtained from Minnesota in exchange for Anthony, Billups, Balkman and Williams is still center stage, from the standpoint that there's no question Anthony would sign the extension to play there. But they will have to sweat it out a bit as the Nuggets desperately try to steer Anthony toward the Nets.

Asked if he thought about how much the cost of trading for him would impact the team he eventually ends up on, Anthony nodded.

"If anything was to happen with whatever team, of course I would want a team to be able to compete with," Anthony said. "As far as all the players that's supposed to be in the deals, that's a lot of players for one guy."

Anthony wasn't the only player talking about his situation. His good friend, LeBron James, was also chatty about the subject of Anthony's imminent trade."