NEW YORK — New team president Leon Rose is maintaining status quo with his general manger.
Scott Perry will remain with the Knicks another year, a source confirmed, and will help Rose navigate the upcoming draft and free agency. It was a surprising move considering executives like to hire their own staff — especially at the top — but Perry clearly impressed Rose in the last two months and these are unique circumstances with the coronavirus shutdown.
Newsday first reported the agreement and quoted Rose, who has not yet held a press conference or addressed questions from the media since taking over as a first-time NBA executive.
“Scott is a well-respected basketball executive who I have known for more than 20 years,” Rose told the paper, “and I look forward to continuing to work closely with him as we look to build a winning team in New York.”
As the Daily News reported, Perry and the Knicks had mutual options for next season in his contract, meaning both sides needed to pick it up in order to extend the partnership. The deadline for picking up the option was May 1.
Rose had targeted Elton Brand as his GM, as the News reported, but he’s under contract with Philadelphia and unlikely to become available. Rose’s only front office addition has been capologist Brock Aller, who is expected to hold a high-ranking position as a chief strategist.
Much of the current Knicks front office staff was brought in by Perry, but it’s unclear if they’ll remain after their contracts expire in August.
Perry’s continued role in changing regimes is not unprecedented. When Phil Jackson became team president in 2014, he kept Steve Mills as GM — although that was interpreted as forced by owner James Dolan.
After several years as assistant GM of the Orlando Magic and a brief stint with the Sacramento Kings Perry was hired as New York’s GM under former team president Mills in 2017. His draft record in New York includes Kevin Knox and Mitchell in 2018, then RJ Barrett and Iggy Brazdeikis last year.
However, the Kristaps Porzingis deal to Dallas remains a pockmark on his record. The Knicks received Dennis Smith Jr. — who has disappointed — and two first-rounders from the Mavericks. More importantly, the Knicks created cap space in the trade with the hope of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving signing in the summer. Instead, they signed Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson and Elfrid Payton.
The Knicks went 21-45 before the coronavirus shutdown.
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