Phil Jackson Says Knicks Want Carmelo Anthony to Have Success Somewhere

Phil Jackson reiterated Friday that the New York Knicks would like to find a trade destination for Carmelo Anthony this offseason. 

"He has a no-trade contract," Jackson said at the NBA's predraft combine in Chicago, per ESPN.com's Nick Friedell. "I think I expressed what I felt. I can't express it any better. I thought it was well-said, even though a lot of you didn't feel quite that way. But we'd like him to have success, the opportunity is narrowing. We'd just like him to have success somewhere. We're not going to be there. Hopefully we'll be maybe a playoff team next year. It would be tough to consider us a possible champion."

That's effectively the same thing Jackson told reporters during his season-ending press conference. 

"I think the direction with our team is that he would be better off somewhere else," Jackson said on April 14, according to the New York Times' Mike Vorkunov. 

But as Jackson noted again Friday, Anthony would have to waive his no-trade clause before a swap could be completed. 

However, ESPN.com's Ian Begley reported in April that Anthony "is leaning strongly toward waiving the no-trade clause" following a turmoil-filled 2016-17 season with the Knicks. 

It's unclear who Anthony's suitors would be, but a team that's interested will have to be willing to eat at least one year of his hefty contract. 

Anthony is scheduled to earn $26.2 million next season before he decides whether to exercise his $27.9 million early termination option in advance of the 2018-19 campaign.