Steve Mills seized control of the Knicks’ front office – while running it potentially temporarily in the aftermath of Phil Jackson’s firing – by signing Tim Hardaway Jr. to a shockingly large contract. Mills didn’t even show up at Hardaway’s introductory press conference to explain the move. But that signing scared off other candidates, and the Knicks just let Mills remain president.
I can’t believe that went poorly.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
New York is parting ways with President Steve Mills, league source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 4, 2020
It is expected that GM Scott Perry will continue in his role as Knicks GM for forseeable future, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 4, 2020
Knicks owner Jim Dolan is targeting Toronto president Masai Ujiri to ultimately oversee New York’s operations, league sources tell ESPN. He is under contract through 2020-2021 in Toronto.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 4, 2020
Mills did a horrendous job. He came in preaching patiently rebuilding. Then, he traded Kristaps Porzingis to unload big contracts (including Hardaway’s) to open double-max cap space. But New York struck out on Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard and every other star. Somewhere along the way, the Knicks returned to focusing on developing young players. Yet, New York also signed a bunch of blah veterans last summer then set expectations way too high.
Amid ever-changing directions, the Knicks are 15-36 and headed toward their seventh straight losing season.
Of course, this isn’t all Mills’ fault. Problems start with owner James Dolan. He’s petty and vindictive, creating a destructive culture throughout Madison Square Garden. His influence on basketball operations – including keeping Mills, who was also Jackson’s predecessor – is almost unbelievably bad.
Masai Ujiri is a great executive, and New York is wise to pursue him. But luring him and compensating the Raptors will be difficult to pull off. There’s a chance. I also wouldn’t trust Dolan to execute.
Just look how he handled Mills.
Why now? Mills appeared finished for a while. Yet, the Knicks kept him all the way until the commotion of trade-deadline week. New York is negotiating on several fronts – most notably Marcus Morris. Firing Mills just two days before the deadline brings unnecessary chaos. The Knicks should have fired him before ever reaching this point.
Scott Perry takes over, his first time leading a front office. He fell up to New York after the Kings did a lousy job during his short time in Sacramento. That followed working for the Magic during Rob Hennigan’s underwhelming tenure. Maybe Perry would have operated differently than bosses. Evaluating individual non-lead executives is difficult from afar. But Perry’s teams have shown little reason to have faith in anyone involved.
Still, if Perry lands an expensive veteran before Thursday’s trade deadline, maybe he can remain in charge.