Knicks agree to five-year deal with GM Scott Perry, Kings net second-rounder in return
The New York Knicks have agreed on a five-year deal with Sacramento Kings executive vice president of basketball operations Scott Perry for their general manager job, two people with knowledge of the situation confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal wasn't announced publicly.
In return, the Kings will get a 2019 second round pick and cash considerations. The Knicks are set to receive the worst two of Orlando's, Cleveland's and Houston's second round picks in 2019, and the Kings will get the better of the two. Perry's agreement was reached on Thursday, but the terms of compensation weren't finalized until Friday.
Perry, a longtime executive, made a significant impact in his short time in Sacramento. Perry was fired by the Orlando Magic in mid-April as part of a front office overhaul that included then-general manager Rob Hennigan, and he then joined the Kings on April 21 and played a pivotal part in their successful summer.
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With general manager Vlade Divac leading the way heading into the June draft and Perry assisting in those final months of preparation, the Kings made deft moves that earned them widespread notice. They landed point guard De’Aaron Fox out of Kentucky with the No. 5 pick, traded the No. 10 pick to the Portland Trail Blazers for No. 15 and No. 20 as a means to landing small forward Justin Jackson (North Carolina) and big man Harry Giles (Duke), and even found a promising prospect with the No. 34 pick in point guard Frank Mason III (Kansas).
"The Kings are forging a strong future for themselves, and while this was a tough decision, I could not pass up a promotion to become the general manager of the New York Knicks and chance to be near my daughter in New York," Perry said in a statement. "I am so thankful to (owner) Vivek (Ranadive), Vlade, the leadership team, and the entire Kings organization for my time in Sacramento. The Kings are a hard-working team with a lot of heart and I have no doubt they are on a path to enormous success."
In free agency, where the Kings had more salary cap room than any other team in the league, they made a deliberate decision to surround the young core with veteran leadership by signing 32-year-old point guard George Hill, 35-year-old forward Zach Randolph and 40-year-old small forward Vince Carter.
Perry, who spent parts of 12 seasons with the Detroit Pistons (including their 2004 championship season) and has worked with the Seattle SuperSonics, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Magic, would join the Knicks front office that has been in flux since the late June dismissal of Phil Jackson. Steve Mills, who served as general manager under Jackson and has been with the organization in a front office capacity since 2013, is expected to serve as the team’s president of basketball operations. ESPN first reported that Perry and the Knicks were in discussions about the general manager job.
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