The New York Knicks have parted ways with team president Steve Mills.
The 60-year-old spent 13 years within the Knicks’ organization under owner James Dolan, rising through the ranks as COO and sports business president of Madison Square Garden in the early 2000s to his latest role, which began in 2017 when the organization parted ways with Phil Jackson.
“The New York Knicks today announce that Steve Mills will be leaving his position as President of the New York Knicks, effective immediately,” the team released in a statement. “The organization will undertake an immediate search for a new team President. In the interim, Knicks General Manager Scott Perry will oversee the Knicks basketball operations.”
Mills, alongside Dolan, was the overarching constant of a franchise that has been perpetually mired in mediocrity and, frankly, the basement of the NBA, for the better part of the past two decades.
The Knicks made the playoffs just four times with Mills in their ranks and is the man responsible for breaking up the team’s more successful roster when he took over as general manager in 2013.
He was given the role after a four-year hiatus from the team working with Magic Johnson mostly because previous GM Glen Grunwald did not want to trade the veteran players of the 54-win team.
Mills did and the Knicks have not won more than 37 games in a season since then.
His longevity finally started being put under the microscope this season. After a brutal start to 2019-20, Mills and Perry held an impromptu press conference just 10 games into the season after an embarrassing loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, basically placing blame on former head coach David Fizdale.
Fizdale was fired in January, but Mills’ standing with the organization remained on shaky ground.
With the Knicks at 15-36 more than halfway into the season behind an ineffective blend of youngsters and short-term veterans built in large part by Mills, the powers that be finally made the call to let him go six days after fans chanted “Sell The Team” at Madison Square Garden.
During his time as GM and president — which will also be remembered for the trading of Kristaps Porzingis — the Knicks were 178-365.
Still, the timing of the decision is a rather peculiar one when considering the NBA trade deadline is just days away on Thursday at 4 p.m. ET.
The Knicks are expected to be sellers thanks to those veterans on team-friendly deals, but it remains to be seen if they will trade them for draft capital, or if they’ll dip into their young core to try and acquire a player that can help improve their record right away.
