Report: Knicks offer Carmelo Anthony max deal following Thursday's meeting

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The New York Knicks met with free agent Carmelo Anthony just hours after the coveted small forward held meetings with the Los Angeles Lakers and offered a contract that could further make him one of the highest-paid players in the NBA.

With the Knicks in a better position to bid more money than any other team pursuing Anthony, they did just that by offering him a maximum contract worth $129 million over five years, according to ESPN's Chris Broussard and Ian Begley.

Anthony reportedly did not give the Knicks an answer when the meeting concluded.

The Knicks' offer comes after Anthony's two-and-a-half hour meeting with the Lakers where he was offered a four-year, $96.8-million proposal which is the most they and other teams can offer.

Kobe Bryant was supposed to attend the Lakers' meeting with Anthony, but was unable to join because the time of the meeting was changed while he was en route back to Los Angeles from a European vacation. A meeting with Bryant later in the day was reported but Anthony, when asked by reporters about a possible discussion with the Lakers superstar, said "We'll see."

The $129-million contract offered by the Knicks roughly breaks down to an annual average of $25.8-million, compared to the annual average of $24.2-million he could make with the Lakers. He wouldn't even be the highest-paid player on the Lakers if he accepted, as he made just over $9 million less than Bryant ($30,453,805) last year. Anthony made $21,388,953 last season with the Knicks.

Anthony has now heard pitches from five teams interested in obtaining/retaining his services. He met with the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets earlier in the week.