Knicks fire Mills, will reportedly target Ujiri
The New York Knicks parted ways with president of basketball operations Steve Mills on Tuesday, the team announced.
General manager Scott Perry will take over for Mills on an interim basis as the team searches for his replacement. Mills is expected to eventually be nominated to the MSG Board, the announcement confirmed.
Knicks owner James Dolan is reportedly targeting Toronto Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri as Mills' long-term replacement, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The 49-year-old has been linked to the Knicks in the past but is under contract with the Raptors through 2020-21.
To land Ujiri before his deal expires, New York would need to provide Toronto with draft compensation, but the team is reluctant to do so, sources told Wojnarowski. Dolan has reportedly also already had conversations with one potential candidate for Mills' role and the process is "likely moving faster than the time needed to wait on an Ujiri courtship," Wojnarowski adds.
Ujiri has built Toronto into a perennial contender since he was hired as executive vice president and general manager in May 2013. Under his watch, the Raptors drafted multiple key rotational pieces outside of the lottery, including Pascal Siakam, Norman Powell, and OG Anunoby.
The 2013 NBA Executive of the Year has also made his share of savvy transactions. Just a month into the job, Ujiri fleeced the Knicks in the Andrea Bargnani deal, trading the former No. 1 overall pick for a collection of assets that included a 2016 first-round selection. Toronto used that pick to draft Jakob Poeltl and eventually flipped him to the San Antonio Spurs in 2018 as part of the package for Kawhi Leonard.
Mills was hired as executive vice president and general manager of the Knicks in September 2013. He was elevated to the presidential role in July 2017 after the club split with Phil Jackson, while Perry was simultaneously hired to replace Mills as general manager.
New York never made the postseason during Mills' tenure, posting a 178-365 record. The Knicks currently own the league's fourth-worst mark at 15-36.