Blazers pine for Carmelo

Damian Lillard says Carmelo Anthony, who’s still stuck on the Knicks, “didn’t seem opposed” to waiving his no-trade clause and playing for the Trail Blazers when the two spoke this offseason.

“I’m not giving up on anything,” Lillard said in a recent interview with ESPN’s “The Undefeated.” “I just think I’ve done what I can do. And camp is a few weeks away. And you have to focus on getting ready with who we are, plan on going in as we are. Whatever changes, the front office will be the ones making that change, with the Knicks and our front office or whatever. But I get my mind focused on what I can control at a certain point.”

Lillard added, however, that he thought Anthony — who played in a pickup game in Manhattan on Monday with the likes of Russell Westbrook and Houston’s Chris Paul and James Harden — finding his way to Portland was probably a long shot at this point.

“I didn’t want to press (Anthony),” Lillard said. “I ain’t a big fan of doing all the extra recruiting and all that stuff. And I guess they call it tampering or whatever. It’s not against the rules for us to interact with each other. We all peers, we all play in the same league and everybody hints at playing with each other.”

Portland has been on the prowl for the 10-time All-Star since the trade rumors surfaced this offseason, and Lillard’s backcourt mate C.J. McCollum has made it clear that he wants Anthony in a Blazer uniform. However, the Rockets have been the top contender to land Anthony in a trade, with the sticking point being the Knicks’ unwillingness to take on the contract of Ryan Anderson ($61 million for the next three years).