The New York Knicks reportedly reached an agreement with Phil Jackson to hire him to his first-ever front office job. Knicks star Carmelo Anthony seemingly confirmed the hiring of Jackson but indicated it would not influence his decision this summer in free agency.
Although not yet official, the New York Post reports Jackson made a verbal agreement on Saturday with the Knicks, and all that remains is for the lawyers to finalize details of the contract.
"Phil Jackson has reached an agreement in principle to oversee the Knicks basketball operations and 'president' will be in his title, according to a league source," Marc Berman of The Post wrote Tuesday night. "... Knicks president/general manager Steve Mills will remain on board in a revised role and work with Jackson.
"Knicks owner James Dolan hired Mills because of his vast network of contacts with NBA agents and GMs. That isn't a strong suit of Jackson, winner of 11 titles as coach of the Bulls and Lakers."
The Post reports the Jackson-Knicks deal will be complete by the end of the week; ESPN's Chris Broussard reports the deal will be finalized on Monday.
Anthony, meanwhile, seemingly confirmed on Wednesday Jackson would soon be a part of the Knicks organization.
"I still don't have a lot of the details, all the details," Anthony said, via ESPN. "Have I heard? Yeah, I heard he will be coming on board. Not official yet."
Jackson, who last year called the makeup of the Knicks' roster "clumsy," immediately brings stature to a Knicks front office that is often maligned. Anthony, however, admitted the hiring of Jackson wouldn't sway the decision he makes this summer in free agency.
"I don't think it'll have any effect on me, just as far as what I'm thinking or my decision or anything like that," Anthony said. "Like I said, I haven't talked to Phil yet, just to get his insight on a lot of things - what's his plan, what's his future plan - because everything's in his hands now."
Anthony is eligible to opt out of his contract and become a free agent in July.
