Source: Knicks add longtime Jazz scouting guru Walt Perrin
Utah Jazz director of personnel Walt Perrin poses for his photo during NBA basketball media day Oct. 1, 2007, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac) Credit: AP/Douglas C. Pizac
The Knicks are finalizing a deal to bolster their front office by adding veteran NBA executive Walt Perrin, according to a league source.
Leon Rose, who was named team president March 2, added Brock Aller earlier this month to serve as chief strategist, specializing in helping with the salary cap. In Perrin, Rose lands a seasoned scouting presence.
Perrin is expected to serve as assistant general manager/college scouting. He worked for the Utah Jazz the last 19 years as vice president of player personnel.
The addition is not yet official and was first reported by The Athletic.
Perrin was with the Jazz for the drafting (or draft-day trade acquisition) of Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, Deron Williams, Paul Millsap and Gordon Hayward — all whom have become NBA All-Stars.
Before his time with Utah, Perrin worked with the Detroit Pistons where he overlapped briefly with Knicks general manager Scott Perry.
Adding Perrin figures to be a huge help to Rose, the former player agent who never has held a front-office position before. Because the NBA season as well as college tournaments were shut down shortly after Rose joined the Knicks, opportunities for scouting have been cut short. Perrin previously headed up scouting operations for the Jazz and is a respected presence in scouting circles.
The staff under former president Steve Mills remains in place for now. Perry agreed to a one-year deal earlier this month and all of the other front-office executives have contracts that expire in August.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
