By
Marc Berman
May 12, 2018
According to sources, Ntilikina’s skill as a pure point guard is something Mills and Perry have debated. Mills was part of the Phil Jackson braintrust that drafted Ntilikina eighth — ostensibly as a perfect Euro fit for the triangle offense that has been disbanded.
According to a source, Mills was adamant Ntilkina being untouchable at Feb. 8’s trade deadline. But Perry, concerned about Ntilikina’s penetrating prowess, pushed to add Mudiay.
At the 2017 draft, Perry was with Sacramento as assistant GM, picking fifth, and Ntilikina was not on his radar. Perry lobbied for point guard De’Aaron Fox, and the jury is out if that pick was a reach.