Knicks and Rockets move closer to trade as Pelicans want in

The Rockets will hold a lavish press conference Friday to introduce Chris Paul — with guests including James Harden, coach Mike D’Antoni, GM Daryl Morey and owner Les Alexander.

Sources told The Post there will be no surprise announcement, no surprise visitor in Carmelo Anthony. Maybe that will be next week.

As much as Anthony’s camp is pressing the Knicks to complete a trade this week, nothing is imminent or expected to happen until well after the press conference, according to multiple NBA sources.

The Knicks and Rockets are getting closer, but they have work to do.

“They’re still in the middle of the process,’’ one NBA source familiar with the trade talks told The Post.

Another source told The Post that over the weekend talks “stalled’’ regarding a three-team deal, and the sides had to go back to the drawing board. ESPN reported a fourth team is being solicited to inherit at least one of the contracts. A fourth team has yet to be finalized, but ESPN reported both clubs remain “motivated’’ to make this happen.

The Pelicans, once the home of Ryan Anderson, expressed interest in being one of the clubs involved, according to a source. Anderson’s contract, which has three years and $60 million remaining, needs to be part of the transaction because Anthony’s $27 million pact — plus trade kicker — is so immense. The Knicks have no interest in Anderson because he plays Kristaps Porzingis’ position and is older than the mid-20s-type player the club seeks.

According to sources, Knicks acting president Steve Mills is so preoccupied with trying to figure out a way to move Anthony to the Rockets in a multi-team deal that he’s unable to focus fully on landing a veteran point guard.

One goal is to accomplish both — getting Anthony off the roster to continue their rebuild mode and inheriting a veteran point guard in the Anthony trade who could mentor 18-year-old Frank Ntilikina, their rookie first-round lottery pick.

Ron Baker broke the bank on his free-agent contract, getting the entire room exception in a two-year, $9 million deal. He could wind up starting at point guard — a move that only makes sense under the prism that earning the eighth seed is not the primary objective next season, that falling into the lottery for a bid at Michael Porter Jr., the highly touted Missouri freshman, is acceptable.

The Knicks are aiming to trade Anthony, 33, because their philosophy is to open space for the development of their young core — Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Willy Hernangomez and Ntilikina.

The Knicks have just $1.5 million of cap space for a free-agent point guard, but have another option. They can actually spend more with their veteran’s minimum exception — which is $2.3 million for players serving at least 10 seasons in the league.

According to a source, the Knicks are among a multitude of teams that have inquired about 31-year-old Ramon Sessions, who played for Charlotte last season.

A source told The Post the Knicks inquired about Phoenix point guard Eric Bledsoe, whom Jeff Hornacek coached with the Suns.

Bledsoe is 27 with two years and $29 million left on his pact. The Knicks don’t have many trade chips except a future first-round pick and starting shooting guard Courtney Lee.

The Knicks no longer have the money for either Derrick Rose or Rajon Rondo. Another free-agent name the Knicks researched is point guard Donald Sloan, who played in China last season.

When the Rockets first approached the Knicks about a trade after landing Paul, Houston didn’t get much traction because the organization still was figuring out the post-Phil Jackson front office. But Mills has since been given the green light by owner James Dolan, and the plan is to make him the permanent president, as first reported by The Post.

While confidants say D’Antoni would approve an Anthony deal in the Rockets’ all-out attempt to dethrone the Warriors, the former Knicks coach also has had reservations because of their past differences.

Asked at the summer league in Las Vegas if he wants to add to the roster, D’Antoni said, “There’s somebody out there” before stopping because of fear of tampering charges.

“I’ve blown enough money at the tables here,” he added.

D’Antoni has no choice after Paul and Harden lobbied for the move, and Anthony’s former Denver teammate, Nene, also is on board. Nene posted an Instagram on Monday of Anthony in a Rockets uniform. As reported by The Post, Anthony and Harden already have been in conversations.

Meanwhile, Paul was quoted by The Undefeated as saying, “Man, sit back and wait.”

The wait is on.