inside the knicks Why one of Leon Rose’s top front-office lieutenants felt the time was right to leave Knicks By Jared Schwartz Published Aug. 6, 2026, 6:20 a.m. ET Gersson Rosas holds Knicks title belt during the team's championship parade on June 18, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images The Knicks’ brain trust is about to look different.
A valuable member of the group — senior vice president Gersson Rosas — is leaving the team after four years, culminating in the franchise’s first championship since 1973.
President Leon Rose and executive vice president William Wesley get most of the credit from fans and the media for their roles in transforming the Knicks into champions. But Rosas was an important contributor in the front office.
He was often the point man in trade negotiations, and almost the entirety of the team’s core — Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges — was assembled via trade. Having previously worked with the Timberwolves, he was a fan of Towns and his experience with that franchise helped the Knicks finalize the deal to acquire the floor-stretching big mn from Minnesota. Two years later, that trade — sending Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Timberwolves — is an unquestioned Knicks success.
