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The Nets want to do something, they need to do something and they will do something. The million dollar question is, What? They should start getting a better handle on matters after Tuesday night's lottery.
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The Nets, who will have investor/minority owner Jay-Z in Secaucus, are slotted to pick 10th -- they have an 87 percent probability of staying there -- but if they move up to any of the top three spots their chances of dealing the pick greatly increase.
They have been talking around the league and one of the teams they will revisit is Denver, where Carmelo Anthony is available. League sources insist the Nuggets are making Anthony available for the right price. The Nets have spoken to Denver -- Nets GM Kiki Vandeweghe drafted Anthony and reshaped the Nuggets roster when he was there.
Vandeweghe refused any comment on talks with the Nuggets but admitted the Nets will look to be active this summer but only in "trying to make deals that are good for your team so you are always talking to everybody around the league. But I am a firm believer in not making trades just to make trades."
So where the Nets pick will add to their summer intrigue. They have their own pick (likely 10) and No. 21 from Dallas through the Jason Kidd trade. Should they get No. 1, they would keep it for Michael Beasley of Kansas State. Same with No. 2, assuming Memphis' Derrick Rose went first to another team. If they got three, they might look to deal and a higher pick could be attractive to Denver.
The Nets and Nuggets discussed various parameters of a deal, which would not occur until after June 30 when the full $14.4 million on Anthony's 2008-09 contract kicks in. He is a base year compensation type, which makes trades difficult. One proposal contained "a lot of pieces" including the Nets' pick, Richard Jefferson and Marcus Williams for Anthony and Marcus Camby. One source stressed nothing is imminent and talks are still in the infancy stage.
fred.kerber@nypost.com
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