NBA Sets Hearing Date to Settle Knicks-Raptors Dispute

The NBA plans to settle the ongoing dispute between the Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks with an arbitration hearing this summer.

According to ESPN’s Baxter Holmes, the hearing is scheduled for the week of July 21, nearly two years after the Knicks sued the Raptors in August 2023, alleging that Toronto stole thousands of confidential files. The Knicks’ lawsuit seeks more than $10 million in damages and accuses the Raptors of illegally acquiring proprietary scouting reports, opposition research, and internal strategic data.

At the center of the dispute is former Knicks employee Ike Azotam, who worked for New York from 2020 to 2023 before joining the Raptors. The Knicks claim that Azotam, after being recruited by Toronto in the summer of 2023, shared a trove of confidential team files that included play frequency reports, scouting analysis, and prep materials for the 2022-23 season. In their legal complaint, the Knicks alleged that the Raptors instructed Azotam to transfer the data to help structure their coaching and video operations staff.

The lawsuit names Azotam, Raptors head coach Darko Rajaković, player development coach Noah Lewis, and multiple unidentified Raptors staffers as defendants.

The Raptors have strongly denied the allegations, calling the lawsuit an attempt to stir public controversy rather than a legitimate claim. In an October 2023 court filing, Toronto dismissed the Knicks' accusations as “baseless” and a “public relations stunt”, arguing that the data in question was largely compiled from publicly available sources accessible to all NBA teams.

Toronto has insisted that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver should resolve the matter rather than the courts. However, the Knicks have questioned Silver’s ability to remain impartial due to his close ties with Raptors governor Larry Tanenbaum, who serves as chairman of the NBA’s board of governors. The Knicks expressed concern that Silver, given his working relationship with Tanenbaum, could not fairly adjudicate the case.

Despite the Knicks’ objections, a judge ruled in June 2024 that Silver should oversee the arbitration process. The league has now scheduled a hearing for this summer, setting the stage for a resolution nearly two years after the lawsuit was first filed.

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