As reported by Newsday yesterday, the Knicks will not extend the contract of GM Scott Perry when it expires this summer. Perry was hired by ex-Knicks executive Steve Mills in 2017, before working under Leon Rose and William ‘World Wide’ Wes.
I would say this is a surprising move by Rose and the rest of the Knicks front office. Perry has been nothing short of the best GM the Knicks have had in years.
He drafted RJ Barrett, and then signed him to his $120 million dollar extension last summer, something the Knicks haven’t done with a rookie draft pick in 23 years (I know some people will be hesitant to call that a win, but I am not one of those people). He also extended Mitchell Robinson and signed Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson in free agency; two of the biggest free agent pick-ups the Knicks have ever had and the two most impactful guys on the team.
So what happened?
There aren’t too many details just yet. News outlets that reported the decision are all more of the same. Perhaps there was a mutual agreement to part ways, or perhaps the higher ups wanted something Perry was against?
The Knicks have been to the playoffs twice in three years and just won their first playoff series in a decade on the back of a team Perry helped assemble. That’s reason enough for me to have at least a little suspicion about this decision.
The Knicks have a big offseason ahead of them too. What to do with Randle? Do you trade young assets and future picks for a star to pair with Brunson? (cough, cough, Jaylen Brown); Do you try to make another splash in free agency? All of this will fall on the shoulders of a new face walking into the organization with a lot of pressure, something Perry didn’t really have back in 2017.
Hopefully it’s not another decade before we see another Knicks playoff series victory.
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