Prior to the trade deadline during the 2010-11 season, the New York Knicks were able to acquire All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets in a blockbuster deal.

However, the Brooklyn Nets reportedly had a deal in place to land Anthony that he was ready to go forth with but it never came to fruition, according to Peter Vecsey of The Patron.

Earlier in the evening, King had spoken to Nuggets’ GM Masai Ujiri (presently Raptors’ president). “We had an agreement,” King stated definitively. “Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, Troy Murphy and three first-round picks every other year would’ve been sent to Denver.”

The 2011 All-Star Game took place in Los Angeles. The night before, with the Nuggets’ permission, the Nets’ upper crust — owner Mikhail Prokhorov, Chairman of the Board, Dmitry Razumov, CEO Brett Yormark, part-owner Jay-Z and GM Billy King — met with Melo and agent Leon Rose at Philippe Chow restaurant in Beverly Hills. “Carmelo liked everything we were pitching,” King said yesterday. “He understood, if the Knicks refused to give the Nuggets everything and everyone they wanted, he’d play one season in Newark before we moved to Brooklyn.”

Anthony had zero intention of becoming a free agent. Over the summer, he had turned down the Nuggets’ 3-year, $65M extension offer, but made it clear to his two most ardent suitors, the Knicks and Nets, he wanted the exact package before the Collective Bargaining Agreement expired at season’s end.

At that juncture in Anthony's career, he had been making a serious internal push to get moved by the Nuggets to play in his home state. The Knicks had been perceived at the time as being the primary landing spot for his services.

Had New York been unwilling to essentially gut their franchise for Anthony, the Nets could have swooped into the picture. This would have allowed for him to play alongside then All-Star point guard Deron Williams and big man Brook Lopez for what could have made for an intriguing team in the Eastern Conference.

It could have also shifted the Nets' entire future with plans and outlook with Anthony and Williams leading the charge for the franchise. Both were still in the prime of their careers that could have potentially made Brooklyn a powerhouse in the East. Ultimately, it's a scenario that could have a major impact on the rest of league.