ORLANDO, Fla. — As the Knicks’ won-loss record grows worse, so does the frown on center Enes Kanter’s face.

Knicks coach David Fizdale is not just juggling lineups but the egos of his veteran players, who are looking to win and are in their contract years.

A free agent in 2019, Kanter issued another cryptic tweet after the Knicks collapsed in the final minutes of a 129-124 loss Friday in New Orleans and after Knicks coach David Fizdale lamented the inability to get any rebounds late.

Kanter, the team’s best defensive rebounder, was stuck on the bench down the stretch. Fizdale explained he wanted to have his new, young starting lineup, headed by three rookies — including project center Mitchell Robinson — on the court to absorb the experience of “weathering the storm on the road.”

Hence, this 4-12 record is not an easy experience for Kanter, who talked about making the playoffs as recently as 10 days ago.

Kanter’s latest cryptic tweet was a series of periods. It is his third tweet of this type so far this season. The first two contained a single period each.

“It’s only going to grow bigger,” Kanter said, refusing to explain what the messages mean.

Fizdale knows the slippery slope and said he has “empathy” for the young veterans. Kanter and Trey Burke are 26.

“I try to balance it,” Fizdale said. “That’s the tough decisions you got to make. But we know ultimately this season’s biggest, most important thing we do is development. You can’t put anything above that. I do try to respect all of the guys and the situation that they’re in, but our No. 1 priority — I can’t put anything above it — is our player development.”

The Knicks center was first out of the locker room in New Orleans. At the morning shootaround Sunday before the Knicks faced the Magic, Kanter was terse.

When asked if it’s tough to sit on the bench late in close games, Kanter said: “Next question, please. Next question, please.”

When asked how he handles Fizdale’s mantra about development coming first while he’s playing for a contract, Kanter laughed.

“Next question, please,” he said. “You already know these answers. I don’t know why you’re asking me.”

Knicks general manager Scott Perry has met with Kanter, who started all last season but lost his job after this season’s fifth game to the 20-year-old Robinson, their second-round steal.

The best solution would be a trade later this season to a playoff contender, but Kanter is making $18 million, and the Knicks couldn’t take back any money that would eat into their 2019 cap space.

Kanter still is a double-double machine off the bench and is averaging 15.2 points and 11.3 rebounds. Defensively, though, he almost seems to be regressing as teams attack him. He lacks lateral quickness and is without natural shotblocking ability — Robinson’s strength — making it easier for Fizdale to go this route.

“I try to have empathy for my veterans and make sure to give them ample time to get out there and produce and help out the team and also for them,” Fizdale said. “I take it to heart. They’re playing for their livelihood, their contracts. That means a lot to me. I understand that. I try to keep a good balance where I keep that in mind and I try to put them in position where they can still achieve to get a good contract.”

Kanter is trying to keep his comments vanilla.

“We cannot worry about our record,” Kanter said. “We need to go out there and play our game, try to get better every day. Losing is never fun, but we need to get back to the lab and get better.”