New York Knicks president Phil Jackson finally revealed the biggest unkept secret of the season by admitting that the franchise is actively looking to trade star player Carmelo Anthony.

After a number of cryptic posts on social media throughout the campaign, Jackson finally addressed the media directly and was very open about the situation with the veteran small forward. 

When asked if he wants Carmelo back with the team next year, Jackson replied: "We have not been able to win with him on the court at this time. And I think the direction with our team is that he is a player that will be better off somewhere else and using his talent somewhere where he can win or chase that championship. 

"Right now we need players that are really active, can play every single play defensively and offensively. That's really important for us."

Throughout the season, Anthony has remained extremely professional and has handled the frosty relationship with the Zen Master in the best way possible. 

However, the 10-time All-Star couldn't resist some sort of response to Jackson's latest comments. Melo took to Instagram and posted the following photo from the movie 'The Great Gatsby' starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

The caption read: "REALLY" and featured two laughing, crying emojis to accompany it, which seemed more than appropriate in this instance. 

Jackson's comments shouldn't have come as a major surprise to Melo as he's always been aware that the Knicks are looking to trade him and build their team around Kristaps Porzingis. 

Maybe the 32-year-old was unhappy with the manner in which Phil went about the issue and his choice of words.

Despite all of that, Anthony still holds all the cards in this saga as he has his no-trade clause and can dictate where his future lies. 

In a shot at Jackson, he can simply choose to see out his contract in New York and make things difficult for the team's president. One thing is for sure, the Knicks need to see the back of one of the two. 

Carmelo will enjoy a long offseason break from the drama that is the New York Knicks and will have a huge decision to make on his future ahead of the next campaign. 

Due to Jackson's comments, the organisation certainly has not left itself with much leverage when it comes to potential trade talks in the summer for their star player. The saga continues.