Jackson hopes for sacrifice in order to help build competitive roster.
New York Knicks president Phil Jackson hopes to persuade Carmelo Anthony to take less money if he chooses to re-sign with the organisation this summer.
The 29-year-old is expected to opt out of the final year of his deal to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, and it has been reported that he expects to hear numerous pitches from teams interested in acquiring his services.
While the Knicks can offer him a max deal which will essentially give him more money than any other team over a five-year period in comparison to four years elsewhere, it appears as though Jackson will want some negotiation over the terms.
“I think [there is] a precedent that’s been set,” Jackson said, as reported by ESPN.
“Because the way things have been structured now financially for teams is that it’s really hard to have one or two top stars or max players, and to put together a team with enough talent, you’ve got to have people making sacrifices financially.
“So we hope that Carmelo is true to his word and we understand what it’s going to take, and we will present that to him at that time.”
Anthony suggested back in February that he would be open to signing a contract for less than the maximum allotment in order to give the franchise the best possible chance of building a winning roster around him.
However, he has also suggested that he will not be willing to wait another year before he can realistically target an NBA championship, and that in turn has strengthened reports of a possible switch to either the Chicago Bulls or Houston Rockets in particular.
Nevertheless, if Anthony chooses money and his desire to stay in New York then his decision will be easy, but given the contracts for Amar’e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani amongst others, his patience may well be tested in the Big Apple if he decides to stay.
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