It’s pretty clear what New York Knicks interim general manager and president Steve Mills is doing right now.
Stepping in for Phil Jackson when he parted ways with the team on June 28, Mills was tasked to help find the team’s next GM or president. However, it’s become glaringly obvious that he wants both roles for himself while possessing something resembling absolute power.
Former Cleveland Cavaliers GM David Griffin was the favorite to at least take the same position with the Knicks entering the weekend. However, talks broke down when he and Mills were unable to clearly define his role should he sign on with the Knicks.
Per the New York Post, Griffin wanted to hire his own scouting staff, which apparently created the divide between him and Mills.
Tim Leiweke, who was the president and CEO of the Anschutz Entertainment Group which owned the Los Angeles Lakers, is still in the running, per the Post. Given how the talks with Griffin went, I wouldn’t get my hopes up that Leiweke and Mills will hammer out an agreement.
So Knicks fans are currently facing a future with a man that has been with the team for the last four seasons, made little to no impact alongside Jackson and already has made an incredibly risky deal with his first legitimate transaction as interim GM and president.
On Friday, Mills signed Tim Hardaway Jr. to a four-year, $71 million offer sheet. The restricted free agent formerly with the Atlanta Hawks—who decided not to match New York’s offer sheet on Saturday—was drafted by the Knicks in 2013 and dealt by Jackson just two years later seeing as he didn’t fit the triangle offense
Hardaway put up the best season of his career in 2016-17 on a Hawks team that finished fifth in the Eastern Conference, recording 14.5 points and 2.3 assists per game. However, he has only started 62 games in his career and could be saddled with the enormous responsibility of being Carmelo Anthony’s replacement should the Knicks deal the veteran All-Star.
At 25 years old, Hardaway fits the mold of the youthful revolution that is taking over the Knicks but shelling out that much money for a player that has not been a consistent starter in the league is a head-scratcher, to say the least.
And in typical Knicks fashion, Mills won’t even be on hand to answer questions about the signing at Hardaway’s introductory press conference. Instead, he’ll leave head coach Jeff Hornacek out to dry once again.
Only time is going to tell if this deal works out, but Mills is starting his possible reign at Madison Square Garden with an enormous gamble.
