Knicks reportedly targeting Raptors' Masai Ujiri after firing president Steve Mills
Raptors president, who has said he's happy in Toronto, under contract through 2021
The New York Knicks made a big move before the trade deadline — by getting rid of the guy who would have been making their deals.
They fired President Steve Mills on Tuesday, shaking up the front office at a most unusual time.
General manager Scott Perry will take over control of the basketball operations, with the team announcing that it would begin an immediate search for a new president just two days before the trade deadline.
Mills has held a number of titles at Madison Square Garden since 1999, where he came after spending 16 years at the NBA. But this was the first time his role included full control of basketball decisions, and now MSG executive chairman James Dolan will look for someone else to do it.
There was immediate speculation that the next big name that would draw his interest was Raptors president Masai Ujiri, who built Toronto's NBA championship team.
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.
—@wojespnAfter the Raptors won the NBA title for the first time in the franchise's 24-year history with a six-game victory over Golden State, Ujiri said his roots are in Toronto.
Reports also surfaced last June that the Washington Wizards were preparing a lucrative offer to lure Ujiri out of Toronto.
Ujiri's wife is from Washington, and the Wizards were reportedly offering an ownership stake in the team.
Dolan has already had converations with one possible candidate, sources tell ESPN. The process for a successor is likely moving faster than the time needed to wait on an Ujiri courtship. <a href="https://t.co/9oFeARMvFY">https://t.co/9oFeARMvFY</a>
—@wojespnAnother losing season
The native of Zaria, Nigeria called other teams expressing interest in him a "blessing," but said he is happy in Toronto, has been able to grow with the Raptors and his two kids are Canadian.
The Knicks are 15-36 this season, Mills' third in charge after replacing Phil Jackson. They were 17-65 last season, tying the worst record in franchise history, but believed a big summer could lead to a quick improvement.
However, they couldn't sign any of the top free agents despite having enough money to afford two of them, watching as Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving instead went to Brooklyn. Mills then pivoted to sign veteran players to short-term contracts, later insisting those were the players New York was targeting all along.
But instead the Knicks are headed for a seventh consecutive season with a losing record and no playoff appearance.
Now it will be up to Perry to decide if there are any moves worth making for the Knicks before Thursday. Their big trade from last season appears to be a failure: Kristaps Porzingis has helped spark a turnaround in Dallas after New York traded its former all-star there on Jan. 31, 2019.
Laughingstock
Mills was the Knicks' general manager from 2013-17 before being elevated to president after Jackson's departure. He hired Perry and Fizdale, touting a new culture and a plan to rebuild the franchise through youth instead of seeking quick fixes.
But there haven't been any fixes at all.
Pressure shifted onto Mills after Fizdale was fired following a 4-18 start to his second season. The Knicks have played better under interim coach Mike Miller and won their last two games, but the organization remains one of the league's laughingstocks.
New York was blown out at home by Memphis last Wednesday in its most recent home game, when point guard Elfrid Payton was suspended and forward Marcus Morris fined for their roles in an altercation late in the game. Fans chanted "Sell the team! Sell the team!" with Dolan sitting in his courtside seat.
Dolan decided on a different change.
The Knicks said it was anticipated that Mills would be nominated to the board of MSG's standalone sports company.
"Steve and I have come to the decision that it would be best for him to leave his role as president of the New York Knicks," Dolan said. "We thank Steve for his many years of service to our organization and look forward to continuing our relationship with him as part of our board."
"I will always be grateful to Jim for giving me the chance to represent this franchise and I'm disappointed we were unable to achieve success for New York," Mills said. "I would like to thank the staff and the players for their hard work during my tenure. I will always be a Knicks fan."
Mills' firing is the second major change for the Knicks this season. They fired coach David Fizdale after just 22 games.
With files from The Canadian Press