LaMarcus Aldridge recently shed some light on his canceled meeting with the New York Knicks during NBA free agency.

Aldridge said on the Russillo Show on ESPN Radio that Phil Jackson and the Knicks wanted him to “strictly” play center. Aldridge didn’t want to solely play center. Thus, Aldridge and the Knicks agreed to cancel their scheduled meeting in free agency, Aldridge said.

“They didn’t want to meet with me,” Aldridge said. “Some people said it was me. But it was both parties agreeing that we shouldn’t meet.”

League sources say Jackson decided it was best for the Knicks to cancel the meeting with Aldridge because the team prioritized the center position in free agency and Aldridge made it clear that he didn’t want to play center exclusively. The Knicks had already missed out on Greg Monroe, a top free-agent target, and decided to focus their efforts on free agent centers DeAndre Jordan and Robin Lopez, sources say.

The Knicks ended up signing Lopez to a four-year, $54 million contract.