Scott Perry: New York Knicks, DeMar DeRozan Trade Creates 'High-Level Problem'
Though he no longer sits in the franchise's front office, Scott Perry continues to offer input on potential deals involving the New York Knicks.
Perry, who stepped down from the general manager's role earlier this year, has routinely offered his thoughts on the state of the Knicks and their ongoing quest to land a superstar through the NBA talk circuit. While Perry recently warned against the idea of trading a "disgruntled" superstar, he's particularly intrigued by the prospects of obtaining current Chicago Bull DeMar DeRozan.
"He could be a guy ... become that third option, if you will," Perry said during an appearance on The Hoop Genius Podcast. "He has a proven ability to score and to score in the clutch in close games."
DeRozan, 34, may be jettisoned from Chicago as the Bulls (7-14) continue to sink in the Eastern Conference standings. He currently stands as the team's leading scorer at 21.5 per game and is fresh off his sixth All-Star appearance.
If and when a DeRozan trade comes to pass, the 15th-year guard/forward reportedly has a New York state of mind: per Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Knicks and Miami Heat "are known to be preferable" in a potential deal.
DeRozan (11) goes for two against Mitchell Robinson
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Such interest, Perry notes, creates a "high-level problem" in the New York backcourt, one that the Knicks would love to be tasked with solving.
"You’ll have a number of players that operate in the same area," Perry said of DeRozan's potential fit in New York. "Jalen Brunson's excellent in the mid-range, Julius (Randle), excellent in the mid-range, then to the basket. RJ (Barrett) gets to the rim. But Jalen Brunson is shooting well over 40 percent from three, RJ Barrett is shooting close to 40 right now ... and Julius is capable."
"If they decide to (trade for DeRozan) and if (Barrett, Brunson, and Randle) are there ... then it's going to be incumbent upon Tom Thibodeau and staff to figure that out: how you get your four top players on the court, along with (center) Mitchell Robinson and you figure out the best offensive path," Perry explained. "Sometimes those are high-level problems to have and you may rather have that high-level problem than not."
The Knicks' crowded backcourt picture has been well-documented: in addition to the headlining group of Barrett and Brunson, the team also features Quentin Grimes in its starting five while Immanuel Quickley and newcomer Donte DiVincenzo come off the bench. Any trade for DeRozan, or any other potential star, would likely require the Knicks to send over at least one player with a name in addition to their plethora of picks stashed from prior drafts.
Time will tell if the Knicks fulfill DeRozan's apparent metropolitan desires. In the meantime, New York (12-7) faces the Bulls' divisional rivals from Milwaukee on Tuesday night at Fiserv Forum (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG/TNT).
