Agent pushing Hamilton into ‘Melo deal

As Carmelo Anthony demands the New Jersey Nets surround him with veteran talent as a condition for him to commit to a contract extension, his agent has been the driving force behind bringing Detroit Pistons guard Richard Hamiltoninto multiteam trade talks, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Anthony’s agent, Leon Rose, also represents Hamilton, and sources said he pushed Nets general manager Billy King to bring the Pistons into trade talks with New Jersey and the Denver Nuggets. Anthony has wanted the Nets to upgrade their roster upon his arrival for him to sign a three-year, $64 million contract extension.

“Leon is driving this one,” one front-office executive told Yahoo! Sports on Friday night.

With Anthony’s agent so heavily involved in brokering particular players in the deal, the Nets are working under a belief that a proposed package to bring them Hamilton and Denver’s Chauncey Billups would be sufficient to sell Anthony on joining them over his preferred destination, the New York Knicks.

Rose and William Wesley of CAA have long wanted to get Anthony and another of their clients, New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul, to the Nets as the franchise prepares for a move to Brooklyn, N.Y. Whichever franchise gets Anthony – the Nets or Knicks – will find itself a frontrunner to eventually acquire Paul. For now, Rose is pushing hard to get a suitable package together for Denver to get his client off a team he longer wants to play for.

As part of a package that would bring them Anthony and Billups for Derrick Favors, Devin Harris and multiple first-round picks, New Jersey proposed sending the Pistons Troy Murphy and Johan Petro for Hamilton and Detroit’s 2011 first-round draft pick.

Detroit rejected the overture, and New Jersey has yet to counter with a revised offer, sources said.