The ball is now in the NBA’s court.
The nasty Raptors-Knicks dispute should be settled by commissioner Adam Silver, not a federal court, according to an order filed Friday by Southern District Judge Jessica Clarke and obtained by The Post.
It was a ruling against the wishes of the Knicks, who sued the Raptors for allegedly stealing secret scouting information through video coordinator Ike Azotam and were seeking $10 million in damages.
The Knicks had accused Azotam, their former employee, of “illegally taking thousands of proprietary files with him to his new position” with the Raptors.
Despite Friday’s setback, the Knicks vowed to continue their legal fight.
proprietary files” to the Raptors. New York Knicks
“We were the victim of a theft of proprietary and confidential files in a clear violation of criminal and civil law and are continuing to evaluate our legal options,” an MSG Sports spokesperson said in a statement to The Post. “We don’t think it’s appropriate for the Commissioner of the NBA to rule on a matter involving his boss, the Chairman of the NBA, and his team.”
The Raptors countered that the files weren’t confidential and the Knicks’ grievances should be arbitrated by the NBA, per the league’s Constitution.
The Knicks argued that, among other things, Silver can’t objectively arbitrate the dispute because he’s beholden to Raptors minority owner Larry Tanenbaum.
Tanenbaum is also the NBA’s chairman of the Board of Governors and, according to a court filing from the Knicks, “serves as Silver’s boss and exercises control over and heavily influences Silver’s continued employment and salary.”
The judge rejected that argument.
“The attack on the fitness of Commissioner Silver to arbitrate this dispute is premature; it is akin to a complaint about the officiating before the game has even started,” Clarke wrote.
As outlined in the order, the lawsuit could go back to court if Silver determines the dispute is not arbitable.
The Raptors applauded the ruling in a statement.
“[We] are pleased that the court agreed this should be resolved by the NBA, which we have maintained is the correct forum for disputes of this nature,” a Raptors spokesman said. “We hope this brings this matter to a close.”
The dispute did not prevent the two teams from completing a blockbuster trade last season, with the Knicks sending RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley to Toronto for OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa.