This Knicks regime’s first front-office hire was a little-known salary cap aficionado in Cleveland, Brock Aller.
Leon Rose might be first in charge. William Wesley might be second. In 2020, Scott Perry was third; now, it’s Gersson Rosas. But Aller, an obsessor of the margins, someone who former Cavaliers lead executive David Griffin dubbed a “diabolical genius,” makes more trade calls than anyone else in the organization.
And Aller adores his precious draft picks. One time, shortly after he joined the Knicks, Aller left an empty pizza box in his office for a curiously long time. A joke emerged in the building: That box must be where he stored the Knicks’ valuable first-rounders.
The Mavericks, even with the Knicks all-in on Jalen Brunson, could not flip the lid of that pizza box.
Four months later, after Brunson helped the Mavs to the conference finals, after Tom Thibodeau had hired Rick Brunson, they were rewarded.
Aller swindled deal after deal on 2022 draft night, garnering future draft picks and getting off enough salary to sign Brunson and more.
Four years later, Brunson is a three-time All-NBA member, the captain of a team that is just four victories short of inspiring New York City to combust.
