Phil Jackson not giving up on retaining their current superstar.
The New York Knicks gives themselves a decent chance of retaining superstar Carmelo Anthony despite the small forward preparing to meet with other suitors next week.
Anthony opted out of the final year of his contract with the Knicks, sparking speculation he was tired of losing in New York and was looking for greener pastures.
New Knicks boss Phil Jackson and new coach Derek Fisher have met with Anthony with their discussions said to be positive.
However, with Anthony set to meet with the Lakers, Bulls, Mavs and Rockets about a possible move, the Knicks are looking to give their star player more help.
New York is set to look to make a play for Los Angeles centre Pau Gasol who would replace Tyson Chandler who was traded back to Dallas this week.
Gasol would only early around $4 million for next season if he signed with the Knicks, who would still have serious salary cap issues until the 2015 off-season.
Jackson was guarded in his comments in relation to retaining Anthony saying LeBron James also opting out of the final year of his contract in Miami muddied the free agent waters across the league.
“It’s a big question because there are so many things that can happen out there,” Jackson said.
“We really don’t know. With LeBron getting in this free agency … we don’t know what all that means. But we have every confidence that Carmelo is good for what his word is, that he wants to be in New York, he likes playing in New York, he wants to compete, he wants to be part of a playoff team that is competitive toward a championship.”
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