By Michael Ventura
DNAinfo Senior Editor
MANHATTAN — The Knicks and Nets will square off this weekend — but not on any basketball court.
This game will take place behind closed doors as the owners of both teams make last-ditch pitches to land Carmelo Anthony in a trade, several news outlets reported.
Nets owner and Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov will meet with Anthony during All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles to try to convince him to agree to a trade to New Jersey and sign a $65 million contract extension to keep him there, the New York Post reported.
The news comes one month after Prokhorov held a press conference to publicly back out of Anthony trade talks with the Denver Nuggets.
Knicks owner James Dolan will also head to Los Angeles this weekend to meet with the Nuggets about Anthony, the Daily News reported.
But the price for his services may be too high.
The New York Times reported that the Nuggets are asking for Raymond Felton, Landry Fields, Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari — otherwise known as the Knicks starting lineup minus superstar Amar'e Stoudemire — for Anthony and point guard Chauncy Billups.
Knicks general manager Donnie Walsh has vocally opposed trading away the Knicks young talent to get Anthony.
"If it's a good trade, I would do it," Walsh told the Times before New York beat the Atlanta Hawks 102-90 Wednesday night. "That's just the way it is."
Knicks fans have been vocal in their desire for the team to get Anthony, a Brooklyn native. During recent games, the team was serenaded with chants of "We want Mel-O!" at Madison Square Garden.
The chants distracted the team so much Coach Mike D'Antoni told fans to knock it off.
The Nets reportedly have more to offer the Nuggets.
A possible deal could include Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, Troy Murphy, Ben Uzoh and four first-round draft picks for Anthony, Billups, Renaldo Balkman, Shelden Williams and Marvin Ely, the Post reported.
Anthony has said he prefers to play in Manhattan.
