Still, he had his detractors, too, including many fans (and coaches) who believed he was too focused on manufacturing shots for himself rather than creating for his teammates.

And Anthony’s individual success with the Knicks did not translate into something larger. He led them into the playoffs three times, but only once, in 2013, was he able to get them past the first round. In his final four seasons with the Knicks, they had an almost unthinkable record of 117-211.

Amid this long stretch of futility, Anthony underwent knee surgery in February 2015 and missed the remainder of that season. In the two seasons that followed, he looked, at times, older and slower, although he was still a premier player.

He also became an increasingly unhappy one under Jackson, who wanted the Knicks to employ the triangle offense he had used in winning a record 11 championships as an N.B.A. coach in Chicago and Los Angeles. But Anthony, many of his teammates and, for that matter, much of the N.B.A. felt the intricacies of the triangle were out of date in a league that was beginning to emphasize high-tempo play, as exemplified by the Warriors.

Still, it was Anthony’s opposition to the triangle that stood out and no doubt irked Jackson, who resorted to aiming barbs at Anthony on social media, perhaps to help convince him that he would be better off elsewhere.

Instead, it was Jackson who was forced out, in part because of the rift he created with Anthony as well as a separate one that arose between Jackson and the Knicks’ other standout player, Porzingis.

Jackson’s ouster initially made Anthony, with two years still to go on his Knicks contract, look like the survivor. But Mills, who had spent three seasons working under Jackson, had other ideas. First, he spent an enormous amount of money to reacquire Tim Hardaway Jr., a 25-year-old, 6-6 swingman who had originally been drafted by the Knicks before Jackson traded him.