The New York Knicks are still confident in their chances of retaining Carmelo Anthony, and they are planning to convince the All-Star forward further by signing another marquee player from the NBA free agency market.

ESPN reported Saturday that the Knicks are interested in acquiring veteran Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol to pair him with Anthony starting next season and have him replace last season's starting center, Tyson Chandler, whom they recently traded to the Dallas Mavericks.

According to reports, Knicks president Phil Jackson is keen on bringing his former player to New York also to serve as one of the cornerstones of the triangle offense coach Derek Fisher is expected to implement.

Gasol, who averaged 17.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game with the Lakers last season, will become an unrestricted free agent Tuesday and is expected to talk to several teams.

How the Knicks will pursue Gasol is still unknown, considering they can offer less than $4 million because their cap space is limited this offseason.

Jackson also knows he will have a hard time improving the Knicks' roster drastically this offseason, but he insisted that anything can happen, and he believes Anthony won't leave New York this summer.

"It's a big question because there are so many things that can happen out there," Jackson told ESPN of improving the Knicks' roster. "We really don't know. With LeBron getting in this free agency, we don't know what all that means. But we have every confidence that Carmelo is good for what his word is, that he wants to be in New York."

Acquiring Gasol would be a big step forward for the Knicks, but it remains to be seen whether it will be enough for New York to convince Anthony to stay, considering that several teams are expected to make pitches starting Tuesday.

Sources indicated that Anthony, who averaged 27.4 points and 8.1 rebounds last season, will talk to the Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and Lakers next week.

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