Jackson’s attempts to change his mind not successful thus far.
New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony hasn’t changed his mind and plans to opt out of his contract and test free agency this summer.
Despite the efforts of team president Phil Jackson, and the appointment of Derek Fisher as the new coach of the franchise, it appears as though little has changed Anthony’s decision to see what the market has to offer him ahead of next season.
Sources told ESPN that Jackson is continuing to urge Anthony to exercise next season’s $23.3m player option and put off unrestricted free agency for one more year as they look to begin a rebuilding process.
Anthony has until June 23 to inform the Knicks on whether he plans to opt out or not, while the two parties are expected to meet in Los Angeles this weekend to attempt to reach an agreement although it is understood that Anthony is pretty certain of what he intends to do.
Jackson has previously conceded that he believes it would be the best option to hang around for another year and that will allow both sides to gain a better idea of the free agency landscape in 2015.
However, with the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks all interested, it may not be that simple as the Miami Heat have also been credited with an interest in recent days although center Chris Bosh has admitted that it would be “very, very unlikely”.
Anthony will have to consider the financial implications if he were to leave New York, with the Knicks able to offer him a five-year max contract worth more than $129.1m. However, if he were to sign with another team then the maximum he would earn is around $96m over four years.
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