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Carmelo Anthony wanted the Knicks, and the Knicks wanted Carmelo Anthony, but the trade that finally united them was so much more complicated than mutual attraction.
The Knicks had to navigate a minefield of conflicting agendas, internal and external. They had to weigh Anthony’s competitive drive against his drive for financial security. They had to gauge the anxiety of the Denver Nuggets and the stubborn persistence of the Nets.
They ultimately paid a staggering price — four rotation players, all of them 26 or younger, three draft picks and $6 million in cash — to acquire Anthony and Chauncey Billups. But the Knicks nudged a little closer to contender status late Monday night, and that was all the justification they needed.
Anthony, one of the N.B.A.’s elite scorers, is joining Amar’e Stoudemire, one of game’s fiercest big men, on the league’s greatest stage. Any nagging details — a gutted roster, a fractured front office — were deemed secondary.
“We know that we want to win a championship,” Coach Mike D’Antoni said Tuesday. “And the way to do it, you got to get some star players in here. And you can’t say, ‘Well, what if, what if.’ We could be here forever. And what-ifs never happen. But we know we have two of the best players in the league.”
The trade, which also involved the Minnesota Timberwolves, came together late Monday and was still awaiting league approval Tuesday night. A conference call with league officials was put off until Anthony completed a three-year, $65 million extension with the Nuggets that was agreed to as part of the deal.
Anthony, Billups and the four other players obtained by the Knicks are expected to be in New York on Wednesday, although it is not clear whether they will be eligible to play that night against the Milwaukee Bucks. All players in the trade must pass physical examinations (or have them waived) before anyone can play for new teams. Anthony, 26, had been pushing for a trade since last summer and angling to join the Knicks all along. The Knicks preferred to keep their assets and sign Anthony as a free agent after the season. Anthony’s conflicting priorities made that a risky bet.
Anthony wanted New York, but he also wanted his contract extension before the N.B.A. possibly adopted a more restrictive labor deal this summer. Knicks officials feared that Anthony — despite his well-known preference to play here — would sign the extension in Denver, or in New Jersey or some other city if they did not get him now.
“I think if he could sign an extension, that’s what he wanted to do, for his reasons,” said the Knicks’ president, Donnie Walsh, adding, “He wasn’t going to make the free-agent market.”
A rival executive who closely monitored the talks expressed the same certainty.
“The money was first, second and third,” the executive said. “He wanted the money and he wanted the team.”
Knicks officials also feared that a new labor deal might include a so-called franchise tag, which could keep Anthony in Denver, and other marquee players like Chris Paul and Deron Williams with their respective franchises.
Walsh played down any role the Nets had in driving up the price for Anthony, saying that Denver’s asking price would have been the same regardless. He also dismissed widespread reports that James L. Dolan, the Madison Square Garden chairman, forced the trade on the front office.
Close associates of Walsh have said he was highly reluctant to make the trade and had practically stopped speaking with Dolan. Walsh, however, said he was in continuous communication with Dolan. He said he did not need to be sold on the deal.
“No, not at all. And he shouldn’t, because I’m the one who knows basketball,” Walsh said. “So my job is to advise him: this is good for your franchise. And I did that.”
Whoever made the final call, it was not an easy one. The Knicks gave up their most promising young player, Danilo Gallinari; their starting point guard, Raymond Felton; and two other key pieces, Wilson Chandler and Timofey Mozgov; and a first-round pick in 2014 and second-round picks in 2012 and 2013. The draft picks were the final hurdle, according to one executive involved in the deal.
“These are the kind of guys that are really hard to get,” Walsh said, referring to Anthony as a player who “can go out there and get 30 to 40 points in a playoff game.”
The 34-year-old Billups, who led the Detroit Pistons to the 2004 championship, is a better playmaker and shooter than Felton. But he is also eight years older.
“Trades are always painful and happy in a certain way,” said Walsh, who praised the overlooked Billups as “a terrific player.”
Although the Knicks gave up youth, depth and size, Walsh said, “it came down to, how much do you want Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups? And are we a better franchise with those guys in it? The decision we made was, we are.”
D’Antoni said he planned to start Stoudemire at power forward and Anthony at small forward, their traditional positions. Ronny Turiaf will replace Mozgov at center. But the Knicks will be thin behind them, with no one over 6 feet 10 inches on the roster. Shawne Williams and the newly acquired Shelden Williams, who are both 6-9, will be the top big men on the bench.
In trading Gallinari and Chandler, the Knicks also lost 3-point shooting.
Walsh will try to address some needs before Thursday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline. The Knicks are trying to package Corey Brewer, a forward acquired from Minnesota, in another deal, perhaps for a center.
But Walsh said he can address the gaps this summer, when the Knicks expect to have ample salary-cap room. According to some internal estimates — which could change depending on the new labor deal — the Knicks could have up to $16 million in cap room in 2012, when Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Dwight Howard could enter free agency.
No one was happier Tuesday than Stoudemire, who is close friends with Anthony and has been pushing to get him here. “New York City was on fire, even before this trade happened with Carmelo,” said Stoudemire, who received the news in a call from Dolan. “I think now, with the help of Carmelo and Chauncey and the rest of the guys, we have a great shot at it.”
Expectations will rise proportionally, putting the pressure on Anthony and Stoudemire to mesh quickly and on D’Antoni to orchestrate it all. The Knicks are sixth in the Eastern Conference, at 28-26. They have 28 games left and very little practice time on the calendar.
“We know we have a lot of work to do,” Walsh said.
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