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Here's a story that refuses to go away: New York Knicks president Phil Jackson has an opt-out clause in his contract next July, and he may or may not be interested in returning to the Los Angeles Lakers in a front-office role. According to the Orange County Register's Mark Heisler, Jackson's situation in New York is "fluid" and much will be determined by how the Knicks fare this season:

Jackson and his fiance, Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss, both deny it's happening. That's absolutely true ... as far as it goes ... until Phil's opt-out on July 1, 2017, with insiders close to both saying he could still wind up with the Lakers.

Not that Jackson is sitting around thinking about the Lakers at present with other immediate challenges, like sticking it to everyone who says he can't do his present job.

Like all issues involving free agency, Phil's availability will depend on the last thing that happens this season. The Knicks' finish will decide if owner Jim Dolan is happy paying Jackson $12 million annually, which will decide if Phil feels like staying. Or maybe it's the other way around. In any case, the situation is fluid.

Phil Jackson at MSG
Phil Jackson is in New York, for now at least. USATSI

Here's what we know about this:

  • The speculation on this subject hasn't stopped since Jackson fired Derek Fisher last February. At the time, The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that there was a "strong belief Jackson will eventually find his way to his fiancée Jeanie Buss and the Los Angeles Lakers." Buss denied it that month and again in May, but, really, what was she supposed to say?
  • Same goes for Jackson, who told ESPN's Jackie MacMullan recently that he has "more to do" with the Knicks and only has an opt-out clause because he didn't want to be stuck in New York if there was a lockout next summer. Of course, his original rationale for it would not preclude him from using it for other reasons.
  • Buss has stated publicly on numerous occasions, most notably last February -- not long after the Fisher firing -- that she will hold her brother, Jim, to the timeline that he first talked about in April 2014. Jeanie Buss said then that, if the Lakers are not competing for the Western Conference finals this season, then the organization will look to replace Jim as the vice president of basketball operations.

All of the above is particularly fascinating in light of how the teams are coming along. The Knicks appear to have their next franchise player on the roster: Kristaps Porzingis, the 7-foot-3 unicorn Jackson selected No. 4 overall in the 2015 draft. They also have 32-year-old star forward Carmelo Anthony, and they desperately want to make the playoffs this season. Thus far, they are 8-8.

The Lakers, meanwhile, are 8-9 following two blowout losses at the hands of the Golden State Warriors this past week. Unlike New York, though, they are not stuck in between eras -- now that Kobe Bryant has retired, Los Angeles is clearly building around a new core led by recent lottery picks D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram. The Knicks could finish this season with a superior record, but the Lakers will probably be in a more enviable position going forward. If Jackson had his choice, which front office would he prefer to run?

Another important question: what does Dolan think about all of these rumors? In April, the New York Daily News' Frank Isola reported that Toronto Raptors general manager Masai Ujiri was on Dolan's list of potential Jackson replacements. Ujiri has since extended his contract with the Raptors, but who else was on that list?