Hornacek certain Porzingis will stay with Knicks, less sure about Melo

Jeff Hornacek fully expects Kristaps Porzingis to be on the roster come next season, but the same cannot be said for Carmelo Anthony.

The New York Knicks head coach expressed the utmost confidence that Porzingis will remain a Knick, even after the Latvian big man skipped his exit meeting due to reported frustration over team dysfunction.

"There's no doubt in my mind he'll be on the roster," Hornacek said Thursday at the NBA draft combine, as quoted by Newsday's Al Iannazzone.

Hornacek indicated that Porzingis - who has two years remaining on his rookie contract - missed a good chance to address his concerns, but said it's OK because they'll chat eventually.

"It would've been a great opportunity to talk about what he sees, but we figure it's a long summer. We'll end up talking to him, and all that stuff coming into next year will be fine," the 54-year-old said, adding that he recently texted the power forward, but wouldn't divulge whether he received a reply.

Since skipping the exit meeting, Porzingis has flown to his native Latvia to prep for the European Championships, and also tweeted about the Los Angeles Clippers (he said he was hacked), while other clubs reportedly inquired about him.

Related: Porzingis 'wants to stay' if Knicks build winning team, says brother

Hornacek shut down those rumors.

"We expect him back," he said. "I think everything’s going to be just fine when we get back."

The bench boss was more dubious when discussing another one of New York's most important players, Anthony, who was plagued by trade rumors all season. Team president Phil Jackson has been trying to run the 10-time All-Star out of town, saying last month Melo will be "better off somewhere else."

Asked if it's time to move on from the 32-year-old, Hornacek replied:

"I don't know. Carmelo is a great player. He did a lot of good things for us. He won us games. He hit some big shots for us. He was a guy who we could go to. If he's back, he's a guy who we can go to again. If he's not, then that's when other guys will have to become the guy that we can go to or get us big buckets."

Hornacek admitted Porzingis will have a more prominent role in the offense if Anthony - who has two years left on his deal, plus a no-trade clause - jumps ship.

Related: It's time to trade Melo and hand the Knicks over to Porzingis