The New York Knicks announced on Wednesday that they will retain Scott Perry as their general manager under new team president Leon Rose.
“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,” Rose said.
Perry, who has been the Knicks’ general manager since 2017, had a mutual option that was set to trigger on his contract May 1. According to Newsday’s Steve Popper, it’s a one-year deal that will keep Perry in place.
The 56-year-old, alongside Rose, will be tasked in steering the Knicks through unprecedented times — a daunting plan considering his inability to improve the roster much over the last three years with former president Steve Mills.
The 2019-20 NBA season is very much in limbo as sports remain on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. While the league discusses a plan to salvage the season and carry out the playoffs, the 2020 draft that is scheduled for June is still a sizable uncertainty.
Either the league opts to move the draft until the season is over or they keep the date — much like the NFL did — and execute the draft with teams still playing. That’s obviously a difficult task to undertake with most of the league likely still in action should basketball return.
The Knicks will once again be choosing in the lottery as they missed out on the playoffs for a seventh-straight season.
The selection process and impacted free-agency period could very well be Perry’s final chance to secure a long-term contract with the organization.
While he and Mills preached organization, the Knicks continued to lack a true direction when it comes to their rebuilding plans.
A bevy of youngsters suggest that the Knicks will rebuild through the draft, but nagging links to pursuits of marquee free agents or sizable trades to break up that youthful core constantly cast doubt on the situation.
