Sources: Knicks' high-level brass meeting with Carmelo Anthony this weekend
The New York Knicks are sending a high-level delegation – including president Phil Jackson and coach Derek Fisher – to Los Angeles this weekend to sell All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony on a future with the franchise, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
For Anthony, who plans to become a free agent July 1, this meeting will include his first chance for a face-to-face with Fisher, sources said.
Fisher is expected to be part of a small Knicks management contingent traveling to Los Angeles, where Anthony has been living and working out this month, league sources said.
Jackson has met with Anthony, 30, to discuss his future with the Knicks, but this will likely be an opportunity for Jackson to finally let a coach sell his vision for a long-term partnership with the Knicks.
Anthony will exercise the Early Termination Option on his contract later this month, becoming an immediate priority target for several teams, including Chicago, Houston, Dallas and the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jackson has publicly and privately pushed for Anthony to resist using his ETO and play the 2014-15 season for his $23.3 million salary. The Knicks will have the salary cap space in 2015 to pursue star talent to join the team. Nevertheless, the New York Daily News has reported that Anthony still plans to opt out. If Anthony does decide to re-sign with New York on a long-term deal, Jackson will try to sell him on doing so at a discount price to allow the Knicks salary-cap flexibility.
