Carmelo Anthony received max contract, decision expected this weekend

By Phil Jackson, Knicks offer a new deal.

A decision from Carmelo Anthony could come this weekend following a second meeting with the Knicks’ top officials in Los Angeles on Thursday that resulted in team president Phil Jackson offering the seven-time All-Star a max deal of $129 million over five years.

The Daily News reported on Monday that Anthony fully anticipated the Knicks offering the maximum contract despite Jackson publicly challenging the free agent forward to take less. Jackson and head coach Derek Fisher met with Anthony late Thursday afternoon after Anthony conferred with the Lakers for two hours. Los Angeles, which could lose Pau Gasol in free agency, offered Anthony $96 million over four years, which is the most any team other than the Knicks could offer him.

 

 Who me? The Knicks are looking to secure Carmelo Anthony's return to New York.

A source close to Anthony said he “doubted” that Anthony would make a verbal agreement on Thursday. Free agent deals can’t be formally signed until Thursday, but it is clear that the Knicks are making progress toward re-signing their top player. In fact, the Knicks were hoping that Anthony could help them recruit Gasol, who would have to take a $15 million pay cut to join the Knicks. It seems unlikely, but Gasol is considering similar deals from the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs. The Miami Heat is also pursuing Gasol. If the Knicks were to re-sign Anthony and sign Gasol they will have significantly upgraded their roster, coming after the trade to acquire point guard Jose Calderon, who is Gasol’s teammate on the Spanish national team.

Anthony finished up his cross-country recruiting tour in Southern California, which is where he lives during the offseason. The Lakers give Anthony the opportunity to play alongside his good friend Kobe Bryant, but Los Angeles, coming off one of the worst seasons in franchise history, could struggle just to make the playoffs next year.

Anthony has said throughout the year that winning a championship is his primary goal, which is why he began his trip Tuesday in Chicago with the Bulls. On Wednesday, Anthony flew to Houston and Dallas to meet with the Rockets and Mavs, respectively. The Bulls are viewed as the most serious challenger to the Knicks, but Anthony could be leaving anywhere from $25 million to $50 million on the table if he signed with Chicago.

Bryant was returning from a trip to Europe and was unable to attend Thursday’s meeting but he does speak with Anthony regularly. That Thursday’s meetings between Anthony and the Lakers and Anthony and Jackson took place in Los Angeles is interesting on several levels. For one, it puts Jackson in direct competition with his former club and his fiancee, Lakers VP Jeanie Buss.

It didn’t take long for the first odd twist in the Jackson-Buss relationship to occur. In fact, when the Knicks hired Jackson, the NBA sent a memo to the Knicks and Lakers reminding them of the potential conflict of interest. Lakers president Jim Buss, Jeanie’s brother, also rejected the notion of re-hiring Jackson to coach the club after Mike Brown was fired two seasons ago.