Report: Knicks to Hire Jazz VP of Player Personnel Walt Perrin

Meet the newest addition to Leon Rose's front office here:

Leon Rose and the New York Knicks are in the process of finalizing their second hire this summer: Utah Jazz VP of Player Personnel Walt Perrin, according to a report. 

Perrin will join Rose and Brock Aller as part of the team's front office as a "well-respected executive" who has worked with the Utah Jazz for 19 years, per Shams Charania. 

Perrin first worked as a scout in Minnesota for two years from 1993 to 1995, a period of time in which Minnesota was almost a brand new NBA franchise. Perrin then headed to Detroit, where he worked as a scout for nine years from 1993 to 2002; he was the Pistons' director of scouting until he became an assistant coach for the team and moved to the bench. 

After three years of assistant coaching, Perrin returned to his position as the Director of Scouting. Several years later, he joined the Utah Jazz as their Director of Player Personnel, and was then promoted to Vice President of Player Personnel in 2007. 

The Jazz listed his responsibilities with the team as involving evaluating talent on all levels and assisting GM Dennis Lindsey with potential player acquisitions. Perrin will serve as the Assistant General Manager as well as a lead college scout for the team. His duties will certainly include helping the Knicks navigate the upcoming 2020 NBA Draft, whenever it does occur, as Perrin had already begun the preparation for it for Utah.

John Hollinger of The Athletic referred to Perrin as a "road warrior" and a "good get" for the Knicks. I agree with Hollinger's take on the hire, as I simply cannot see something wrong, at this stage of things, with hiring someone who lasted in a successful organization for nineteen years - especially when that organization brought in and developed some of the young talent the Knicks have been rumored to be interested in via trade. Players like Mitchell, Gobert, Ingles, O'Neale, and others have all developed well no matter their starting point; Perrin will be looking to acquire and cultivate talent in a similar way here in New York. 

The departure of Perrin from the Jazz front office will be official June 1, according to Andy Larsen of The Salt Lake Tribune. It will certainly be interesting to see how Aller and Perrin, two executives heralded by those who worked with them for their contributions to the Cavaliers and Jazz (two small-market teams) fare in New York City. 

It was known going into the Leon Rose experience that he would know the right people for the jobs that were open: the fact that he is getting respected executives to join an organization with significant reputation issues in the recent past should be seen as a success in itself for Knicks fans.