Although Leon Rose is taking over as New York Knicks president, he’s opting to keep Scott Perry in his current position as general manager.
According to Steve Popper of Newsday, the New York Knicks are going to keep general manager Scott Perry for at least one more year. This was later confirmed by multiple outlets.
“Scott is a well-respected basketball executive who I have known for more than 20 years, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with him as we look to build a winning team in New York,” team president Leon Rose said to Newsday.
There was some speculation that the team would move on from Perry and find a new GM. However, Rose’s front office moves have yet to affect the long-time executive.
“According to a league source, the two sides agreed on a one-year contract, keeping Perry in place with an important – and odd – draft approaching this summer. The Knicks would not discuss the contract,” Popper wrote.
Rose has already brought in Brock Aller to serve as his executive vice president of basketball strategy. With a one-year deal, Perry is going to have a short window to prove himself to Rose and the rest of the front office.
Luckily for Perry, he has found major success in the draft and his two best picks came in much different fashion. RJ Barrett was a no-brainer in 2019 after Zion Williamson and Ja Morant were off the board. Still, Perry deserves credit for standing pat at pick No. 3 and taking Barrett, who flashed All-Star potential during his rookie season.
Although Barrett is the draft pick with the highest ceiling, Mitchell Robinson is the best steal during Perry’s Knicks tenure. Robinson fell from being a potential lottery pick to the second round because he skipped playing in college. Perry and the Knicks took a chance on the uber-athletic center and it’s paid off in a major way.
Robinson is already one of the best defenders in the league and if the 2019-20 regular season is over, he’ll break Wilt Chamberlain’s record for highest field-goal percentage in a season. The sky is the limit for both Barrett and Robinson.
Kevin Knox suffered from the proverbial sophomore slump during the 2019-20 season, but he’s still young with a ton of talent. Although Ignas Brazdeikis spent almost his entire rookie campaign tucked away in Westchester, he could be a future rotational player if he continues to develop.
All in all, fans are going to want to freak out about Perry hanging around, but his track record in the draft warrants another year of action for the executive.
