Scott Perry's work on the draft essential to his present and future with Knicks

When Knicks president Leon Rose decided to keep Scott Perry in place as general manager, it provided a bit of continuity for the Knicks in a very uncertain time for the franchise and the league.

But with a 67-163 record in his three seasons as GM, the one-year deal to remain in place with the new regime offers no guarantees that this is a long-term relationship.

Rose, who officially took over as Knicks president March 2, after a long career as an agent, has begun to assemble a staff around him. Last week, he brought on Brock Aller, longtime capologist and strategic planner for the Cleveland Cavaliers, to serve in a similar capacity for the Knicks.

With the uncertainty of the season and summer ahead with the league at a standstill during the coronavirus pandemic, experience has been important. While Perry’s status had been a question mark since Steve Mills was dismissed as team president just ahead of the trade deadline in February, he did spend the season tracking prospects, heading up the Knicks' scouting department as they readied for another lottery pick — and this season, crucially, another first-round pick and early second-round pick.

There were no conference tournaments, no NCAA Tournament for scouts to flock to and see some of the best prospects playing in high-pressure situations. The usual assortment of visits and workouts are expected to be replaced with video interviews, as they were with the NFL Draft (which at least had the NFL Scouting Combine just ahead of the shutdown).

Perry’s three-season record at the helm of the Knicks may not present a claim for being kept in place as Rose seeks to remake the franchise that has staggered through the last seven seasons without a playoff appearance or a winning season. How much falls on his shoulders and how much blame is placed on Mills is for Rose to assess. But the one thing that Perry’s supporters point to is some success in the draft, although results are mixed there, too.

The Knicks took Kevin Knox with the No. 9 overall pick in 2018 and his two seasons have produced little to brag about. While he is still among the youngest players in the league, his win shares and value over replacement player ranks him last among the 56 players selected in that draft, according to Basketball-Reference. But in the second round, Perry and Mills selected Mitchell Robinson, who ranks second and third, respectively, in those categories, trailing only Luka Doncic in win shares and just Doncic and Trae Young in VORP.

Last summer, the Knicks had the worst record in the NBA but fell to third in the lottery, leaving them out of the running for Zion Williamson and Ja Morant. But RJ Barrett still showed promise as a rookie and few would argue with that selection even if the numbers don’t speak well of him yet.

This draft could prove the key for Perry. Rose said in a statement Wednesday: “Scott is a well-respected basketball executive who I have known for more than 20 years, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with him as we look to build a winning team in New York.”

But there is no salary cap on front-office building. If Rose isn’t comfortable with Perry after the draft, Perry could be replaced at any time before the one-year deal elapses. Consider if Rose decides to recruit a big name to serve as coach: Could that mean a dual role for the coach with a management role attached? Or could he pair that coach with a GM whom he finds a better fit?

The decision on Perry had to be made now with a May 1 deadline on his prior contract, a mutual option set for that date. The remainder of the front-office staff that came on board with Perry have contracts that expire later in the summer and they have no guarantees that they will remain with the organization.

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

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.