Jeremy Lin and Carmelo Anthony appear to be inching closer to a resolution.
In an exclusive interview with The Post, Lin said his team and Anthony’s are in talks to “clear the air” with a podcast appearance, with one important caveat.
“I know our teams are in contact,” Lin said after being invited by Anthony to appear on his podcast. “My desire is still the same. I’d like to have a private conversation before having a public recorded conversation. That’s my goal right now — to be able to have that private conversation. Would love, of course, to go on the podcast and talk about those things. And talk about things publicly afterward.”
Lin added that he wasn’t sure exactly what the issues were with Anthony, or whether it was related to how they played together.
“I can guess [what the issues are], but I don’t think it would do Melo justice for me to guess what I think he might mean,” Lin continued.
Anthony had said he wanted Lin to come on the podcast to “come speak the truth.”
“Let’s have a conversation, let’s clear the air on a lot of bulls–t that’s out there, please,” Anthony continued. “And I love what you’re doing right now, man.”
Lin signed with ESPN as an analyst in recent days to cover the NBA Finals.
“I do think a private conversation would go a long way in terms of being able to work through, talk through, go back and hash things out about how things ended,” Lin added. “I think that would be super healthy, so I think that would be amazing. You can sense and tell that there’s not that hostility or ill will. Or not rooting for the other person. It’s just something that we can go back and have that discussion about.”
Lin’s exit from the Knicks was a bit controversial, as he ignited New York for a few weeks during the 2011-12 season while Anthony was out with a groin injury before the Knicks season fell apart, leading to a first-round playoff exit.
Lin departed from the Knicks in free agency when he signed the infamous “poison pill” three-year $25 million contract with the Rockets, which was backloaded to be worth $15 million in year three.
At the time, Anthony called the contract “ridiculous.”
Lin added that he will return to Madison Square Garden for the first time in 14 years as a spectator for Games 3 and 4 of the NBA Finals, at the Knicks’ invitation.
