NBA

Melo may be hesitating to see if he can team with LeBron in Miami

The Knicks expected Carmelo Anthony’s decision by Monday, but heard only crickets. A growing belief within the organization is Anthony is waiting to make sure there is no possible way of hooking up with LeBron James in Miami or Los Angeles.

While Anthony monitors the South Beach drama, James is expected to meet with Heat president Pat Riley — as soon as Tuesday. The Post has reported the Big 4 scenario was virtually impossible, but if power forward Chris Bosh is wowed by the money in Texas, either Dallas or Houston, that could open a spot for a new Big 3 of James, Anthony and Dwyane Wade splitting the remaining cap space.

However, that scenario became trickier with Miami agreeing to terms with Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger on Monday, though not impossible. If Wade takes a significant pay cut, Riley can be creative in fitting James and his buddy Anthony under the salary cap.

The Lakers, too, would have to be creative in fitting in James and Anthony. Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak met with James’ agent in Cleveland on Friday and their pie-in-the-sky plan was adding both stars and creating more cap space by dealing Steve Nash’s contract.

The Rockets have reportedly already offered Bosh a maximum contract of four years, $96 million, though they still have to trade Jeremy Lin to clear room. Despite Miami’s mammoth cap space, Anthony did not make a recruiting visit. A report stated Bosh would stay put and take a big pay cut if he knew James were coming back to Miami.

So Anthony is still dealing with essentially three clubs, the favored Knicks, the Lakers and the Bulls, who would need a sign-and-trade to net Anthony because they don’t have enough cap space to make him a competitive offer.

With reports of Anthony’s renewed interest in the Lakers, Anthony has set up the possibility of asking Phil Jackson to work a sign-and-trade with Chicago that could allow him to make close to the maximum contract. Otherwise he would go to Los Angeles with no compensation for the Knicks because the Lakers have max cap space.

A source familiar with the Knicks’ thinking said Jackson likely would engage the Bulls if it came to that worst-case scenario.

The Bulls are negotiating to sign their European prospect, Nikola Mirotic, and that means Anthony would have to take even less than the $16 million per year over four years that had been floated without a sign-and-trade. If the Bulls don’t sign Mirotic and they traded Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Jimmy Butler, the most they would be able to give Anthony is a four-year, $73 million package.

The Knicks have told Anthony they are willing to give him the five-year, $129 million max, but he could decide to take less, as Jackson still is encouraging him to do.

“The Knicks truly believe he’s coming back but they know the Bulls really laid it out for him — their plan with the roster,’’ one NBA source said.

Walt Frazier, who is heading to Las Vegas to call the Knicks summer league games this week, told The Post the Knicks can’t afford to lose Anthony.

“Without a superstar in New York, you don’t have the big name,’’ Frazier said. “I’m sure that’s why [owner James] Dolan brought him in the first place. We were good but didn’t have a superstar. To lose a superstar like that would be devastating for a team that already had trouble scoring.’’

Chicago and Houston offer Anthony the best chances to win next season, but the Lakers have piqued his curiosity because of their full-court press selling Hollywood plus Kobe Bryant’s insistence he join the team. But the 35-year-old Bryant’s health is more important to Anthony than his recruiting pitch.

Especially with the recent additions of McRoberts and Granger, a new Big 3 of James, Wade and Anthony in Miami would easily give Anthony the best chance of reaching his stated goal — a title.