His push to keep Carmelo in town

Hardaway returned the favor publicly Monday, with rumors continuing to swirl around Anthony, who has a no-trade clause but will reportedly waive it to join the Cavaliers or Rockets. Hardaway has not heard from Anthony since signing his deal.

“It’s an odd feeling. But Melo’s got to do what’s best for his family and for him,” Hardaway said of the possibility Anthony could be traded. “Just having that veteran leader out there on the floor, a go-to guy who can get you a bucket at any given moment of a game, it’s great. It’s great to have that. You want to have that in the NBA. It would be tough for him to leave, but like I said, he has to do what’s best for him and his family.” AS IT TURNS OUT, Tim Hardaway Jr. is just as shocked as everyone else that the Knicks came calling in free agency.

Hardaway — who the Knicks drafted in the first round in 2013 before trading him to the Hawks two seasons later — signed a four-year, $71 million deal last week to return to the Garden, a contract that bewildered many around the league both because of its size and the franchise from which it came.

“I was surprised,” Hardaway, 25, said Monday in Manhattan. “I was surprised, but also happy at the same time. I wouldn’t want to be with any other team.”

When asked why he was surprised, Hardaway pointed to the puzzling dynamic of returning to an organization that shipped him out of town just two years ago under the command of Phil Jackson, who was fired as Knicks team president late last month.

“Why not surprised? You play here for two years and then you’re gone and then two years later you get a phone call and it’s like, wow, I wouldn’t expect it coming from them,” Hardaway said. “I would expect it coming from a different team or a different franchise.”

Hardaway admitted his gargantuan deal will come with a brighter spotlight and more pointed criticism. General manager Steve Mills is filling in for Jackson as acting president, but he wasn’t made available Monday to address his decision to ink Hardaway to a contract worth nearly $18 million annually. Jeff Hornacek was originally supposed to be speak Monday, but he wasn’t made available either.

“I just have to come in with the same mindset I came in (with) last season,” Hardaway said. “I know how much work I’ve put in the offseason. I know how much work I put in during the season. Yes, obviously there’s pressure, but you’ve got to embrace it.”

The Knicks’ recent regime change certainly factored into the decision to bring back Hardaway, who put together a career season last year in Atlanta, averaging 14.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He also showcased dramatic improvement on defense.

“I’m a mature player now,” Hardaway said.

But the process was long and arduous for the former Michigan star.

Glen Grunwald was the Knicks’ general manager when the team drafted Hardaway with the No. 24 overall pick in 2013. They were coming off the best season of the Carmelo Anthony era, winning 54 games and earning their first playoff series victory in more than a decade. Nonetheless, in September, the Knicks replaced Grunwald with Mills.

Hardaway was an offensive catalyst off the bench in his rookie season, but the Knicks regressed and missed the playoffs. In March, Garden chairman James Dolan hired Jackson as his savior. And the following season, as the Knicks posted a franchise-record 65 losses in their first season in the triangle, Hardaway fell out favor with Jackson, who dealt the shooting guard at the 2015 draft.

This offseason, when Dolan fired Jackson, Hardaway started to think a reunion was possible. However, he said he wasn’t aware of how big a fan he had in Mills.

“I definitely thought about it. I’m not going to lie,” Hardaway said. “Everything happens for a reason, and when I got the call, I was very, very happy.”

Hardaway arrived in Atlanta in 2015 and immediately found himself in a precarious situation. Coach Mike Budenholzer was not satisfied with his defensive effort — an issue that also arose in New York — and demoted him to the D-League in December of that season.

“It was a reality check for sure,” Hardaway said. But when he returned, he solidified a role on the 48-win team, and earned even more responsibility last season, starting 30 games and averaging a career-high 27.3 minutes per game.

“I worked behind the scenes in the gym, in practices, making those guys better,” Hardaway said. “And then after all those D-League stints, he gave me the opportunity to go out there and compete in a real NBA game with the guys and that’s when the trust started to build and that’s what helped me as a defensive player."

With Jackson gone, Hardaway is looking forward to playing in a system other than the triangle for the Knicks. Hornacek ran a pace-and-space style during his time with the Phoenix Suns before he was forced to adopt Jackson’s offense.

“I will really excel in this type of offense rather than my second year in the league,” Hardaway said.

Hardaway knows he’s improved his game. But he believes he earned the lucrative contract because of his growth as a man.

He’s ready for his second chance at the Garden.

“I definitely left with a bad taste in my mouth and just to have that opportunity to come back here is very rare,” he said. “So you got to make the most of that.”

In the case Anthony does waive his notrade clause, the Knicks’ roster would be left with few veterans and a young, inexperienced core.

Hardaway, a key piece and frequent starter on a Hawks squad that finished fifth in the East last season, believes he’s ready to step into the leadership vacuum.

“I feel like I’m ready to be a leader,” he said. “I felt like that last season. We had many guys on the court that led in many aspects of the game throughout the whole entire season while I with Atlanta. So just being able to come back here knowing the city, knowing the franchise, knowing how the Garden is and the environment that we play in, I’m pretty sure I can help lead this team and help us succeed.”