Carmelo Anthony trade: Deal unlikely to happen this week -- so is focus turning to Nenê?

The Carmelo Anthony Trade has been the longest-running non-show in town -- and odds are good it'll remain unconsummated for at least a while longer, according to one NBA insider. But that doesn't mean potential deals involving other Nuggets have been backburnered, too.

The latest subject of transaction rumors? Nenê.

Regarding Melo, NBA Fanhouse's Chris Tomasson had this to tweet about the odds of him moving somewhere/anywhere in the coming days:

But the word is far different in regard to Nenê, who's had an above-average season thus far, but still hasn't blossomed into the kind of score (and stopper) who could help the Nuggets as currently constituted truly challenge for a championship. (For details, check out our coverage of the Nuggets' win against Indiana on Sunday.) CBSSports.com's Ken Berger reports that the center has an early termination clause in his contract at season's end, and given the turmoil on the squad, he's interested in getting the hell out of Dodge. Berger writes that Nenê has presented management with three teams where he'd like to land, with one of them being the Miami Heat.

Duh: Who wouldn't want to be on the Heat this season? But while he might be able to help LeBron and company by taking some of the pressure off Chris Bosh inside, the Heat don't have loads of available talent to entice the Nuggets -- and Miami's draft picks will undoubtedly wind up near the back end of the selection process.

Whatever the case, it's clear the Nuggets are seen around the league as a team on the verge of a big dip -- and that'll make it harder for them to retain the players they have and attract talent they need. That's another ripple effect from the Carmelo Anthony ordeal, which could dribble out for another month.

Or, if the Nuggets are unlucky (which they've been thus far), even longer.

More from our Sports archive: "Carmelo Anthony trade: Chauncey Billups likely to stay, Nugs will probably get squat for Melo."