The New York Knicks will be adding longtime Utah Jazz executive Walt Perrin as assistant general manager, reported Shams Charania of The Athletic on Monday. The report has since been confirmed by other outlets. Perrin worked in Utah’s front office for 19 years, first as the team’s director of player personnel and then vice president of player personnel.
During his tenure, the Jazz drafted Gordon Hayward, Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell — the Jazz drafted Mitchell at No. 13 the same year that the Knicks selected Frank Ntilikina with the eighth overall pick.
Sources: The Knicks are finalizing hiring Jazz VP of Player Personnel Walt Perrin as assistant general manager as they reshuffle front office under Leon Rose. Perrin is a well-respected executive who has worked in Jazz organization for 19 years.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 18, 2020
The move is the latest in a Knicks front office shakeup after Leon Rose was brought on as team president in March to replace Steve Mills. Since then, Rose has hired Brock Aller, formerly Cleveland Cavaliers’ senior director of basketball operations and longtime confidant of owner Dan Gilbert, and signed general manager Scott Perry to a new one-year contract.
While the 2020 NBA Draft is still scheduled for June 25, it’s likely that it gets pushed back due to the global coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this month, the league announced that the draft lottery and combine would be suspended indefinitely. In the meantime, it is expected that Perrin will provide a boost to the Knicks’ scouting staff and work on the Knicks’ draft strategy. During the NBA hiatus this year, KSL Sports reported that Perrin and the Jazz were still working on draft preparations, which looked a little bit different given that scouting and workouts remain impossible. Prior to joining the Jazz in 2001, Perrin worked as a scout for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons.
