The New York Knicks will trade Anthony Randolph for a first-round draft pick within the next two weeks, according to league sources.
Minnesota, Indiana and Portland are among the likeliest destinations.
Knicks president Donnie Walsh and Randolph's agent, Bill Duffy, met before the Knicks' game Friday night against the Kings at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks' ideal scenario is to use the first-round pick they acquire for Randolph in a package for Denver's Carmelo Anthony. But the Randolph trade is not completely related to New York's pursuit of Anthony.
While the Nuggets and New Jersey Nets continue to discuss a possible three-team trade with the Detroit Pistons that would make Anthony a Net, the Knicks are seeking teams that might help them sweeten a potential offer to Denver.
The Knicks reached out to Memphis recently to discuss sending O.J. Mayo to Denver, but the Nuggets have made it known that they have no interest in Mayo.
Sources with knowledge of the Nuggets and Nets discussions said the two clubs have yet to reach an agreement in principle, and that talks are likely to drag out over the next week or so.
Anthony's willingness to go to New Jersey is a key holdup of the potential trade, as the All-Star forward has not agreed to sign the three-year, $65 million extension that is a prerequisite for the deal.
Even as the tension surrounding the Nuggets grows, sources maintain that Anthony is in no hurry and that he has not ruled out playing the entire season in Denver and signing with the Knicks as a free agent.
The problem with that scenario -- and one of the main reasons Anthony has not shut the door on New Jersey completely -- is that the upcoming collective bargaining agreement could force Anthony to settle for millions of dollars less. Also, the Knicks may not have enough room to offer Anthony a max deal (whatever that may look like under the new rules) unless they renounce Wilson Chandler.