Phil Jackson tells the world: It’s time for Carmelo to go

Knicks president Phil Jackson on Friday trumpeted the worst-kept secret in the NBA, stating boldly it is time for Carmelo Anthony to accept a trade, and he will shop him this offseason to a contender.

In a wide-ranging 49-minute press conference, Jackson said he made his intention clear in his “not-contentious” exit meeting with Anthony, who has a no-trade clause in his contract that has two years and $54 million remaining.

“We have not been able to win with him on the court at this time,’’ Jackson said in his first remarks to the local media since Sept. 23. “I think the direction with our team is he’s a player who will be better off somewhere else and using his talents somewhere where he can win or chase that championships.”

Jackson also hinted Anthony’s “resistance’’ to the triangle offense was cause for the system to flop.

“Right now, we need players who are really active and play every single play. Defensively and offensively,” he said. “That’s really important for us.”

Jackson added the tone of the meeting with Anthony was: “How can we make things the best possible for both of us? A place where he can go to be competitive and back in the hunt and something to benefit us moving forward as younger, developing team.’’

In responding to why his system didn’t work, Jackson was likely referring to Anthony when he said, “We faced resistance and we faced resistance at the top. We got rid of some guys early on that resisted, weren’t willing to be learners.”

Anthony responded on Instagram several minutes after Jackson left the podium with the word “really’’ and picture of Leonardo DiCaprio in the “The Great Gatsby.” Teammates Kristaps Porzingis, Courtney Lee and Willy Hernangomez, as well as LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, each “liked” Anthony’s Instagram post.

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Attending Friday night’s Jordan Brand Classic, a high school basketball showcase at Barclays Center, Anthony declined comment when asked by reporters about Jackson’s remarks.

Jackson said he had “no regrets’’ about re-signing Anthony in 2014. “I can’t go back and regret that,’’ Jackson said. “I think it was a good opportunity. It didn’t work.”

Jackson, however, said Thursday’s meeting did not feature Anthony agreeing to waive his no-trade clause for any destination.

“We have not been able to win, and that’s our priority: to win,’’ Jackson added of the Anthony era. “Our meeting was not contentious. It was cordial.”

Asked if he thinks he will be able to find a trade, Jackson admitted it would be difficult.

“That’s still to be determined,’’ he said. “We still have a long way to go on that. That’s a long way down the road, but there are very few options at that level, but there are options.

“You’ve got teams going into the playoffs who could be eliminated right away and say, ‘That’s not good enough. We’re not good enough. We’ve got to go somewhere else.’ ”

Jackson said his attempts to shop Anthony at February’s trade deadline — the Clippers, Cavaliers and Celtics were reported focal points — turned up a zero. Jackson revealed Anthony’s advisers had given him a few preferred destinations.

“Some teams called that weren’t amenable to Melo and his group,’’ Jackson said. “Some teams called that were [amenable], but weren’t willing to give up core groups or members of their team — which is understandable at that time of the year. So we said no.”

Jackson praised Anthony, but said the “partnership” hasn’t worked out.

“Carmelo has been great. He is who he is,” Jackson said. “He’s just, he’s an elite scorer, guy will be a Hall of Fame entry at some point, 10-15 years down the road.

“He has always carried the basic load for this team. I thought he stood up well this year in a lot of tough situations. I can’t regret it. I can’t go back and regret that. Obviously, it hasn’t worked out. This partnership together, somehow or the other didn’t click here with this team. But he has done his role and played his role quite well.”

Charged with alienating Anthony this season, Jackson defended himself, saying his comment to CBS Sports about Anthony “holding the ball’’ was an attempt to coach him. He said his tweet in which he backed an anti-Anthony article and compared Anthony to draft bust Michael Graham also was not negative. Jackson said the gist of that story was the Knicks can’t turn Anthony into Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant.

“It wasn’t disparaging to Carmelo,’’ Jackson said. “I don’t try to change people they are who they are. … I’ve never criticized Carmelo. That’s all supposition by papers.’’

Jackson added the notion Anthony “holds the ball’’ is just a fact.

Anthony, according to Jackson, didn’t tip his hand. Nevertheless, he said Anthony told him he’s “open’’ to change if the club wants to move on.

“No, he didn’t, but we have an agreement that when we sat down and wrote a contract about that no-trade that if both parties felt like it was time, it was time,’’ Jackson said. “I just said we haven’t won here. You don’t want to end up your career not winning, this is not something that you want to have labeled on your career. You want to get to that territory where you have a chance to win. And we talked around that. But he likes it here in New York. He expressed that.”