New York Knicks Layden was the
New York Knicks executive vice president and general manager from 1999 to 2001, and the president and general manager of the organization from 2001 to 2003.
1999–2000 Layden took over as general manager of the Knicks after the strike-shortened,
Cinderella-story season of
1998-99 that saw the team make history by becoming the first #8 seed in a conference to reach the
NBA Finals. He replaced interim GM
Ed Tapscott, who had already used the team's selection in the
1999 NBA draft to take injured
Frenchman Frédéric Weis with the team's first-round pick, surprising many by passing over
Ron Artest. The new
general manager of the Knicks made his first notable transaction when he signed controversial
shooting guard Latrell Sprewell to a five-year, $61.9 million contract extension that would keep him in a Knick uniform through the 2003–04 season, although Sprewell would later be traded. Sprewell was a highly touted basketball talent, but he ran into off court issues with his former organization the
Golden State Warriors when he assaulted head coach
P. J. Carlesimo during a practice. Soon after becoming a member of the Knicks, Sprewell was involved in a car crash that saw him "drive his
Mercedes-Benz on a freeway from an exit lane".
2000–2001 August 1, 2000, saw Layden make his second big move, when he re-signed free agent
power forward Kurt Thomas to a 3-year, $13M contract extension, with a 1-year team option. On September 20, the Knicks GM traded veteran,
all-star, and team captain
center Patrick Ewing to the
Seattle SuperSonics in a four-team deal that saw back-up center
Chris Dudley and the Knicks 2001 first-round draft pick go to the
Phoenix Suns, in return for forwards
Glen Rice &
Lazaro Borrell, guard
Vernon Maxwell, centers
Luc Longley,
Travis Knight,
Vladimir Stepania, a 2001 first-round draft pick from the
Los Angeles Lakers, a 2002 first-round draft pick from the Seattle SuperSonics, and two 2001 second-round draft picks. Rice played in 75 games, averaging 12 points-per-game for New York before being traded to
Houston. Knight appeared in 126 games over three seasons, averaging less than 9 minutes per-game. Longley played in 25 games for the Knicks, averaging 2 points and 2.6 rebounds, while Borrell, Maxwell, & Stepania never saw action for the team. Ewing's production had decreased due to age and chronic injury over the past few seasons, and team brass felt that a deal was in the best interest of the future of the organization. On January 30, 2001, guard
Erick Strickland and a first and second-round draft pick from the Ewing trade were sent to the
Vancouver Grizzlies for back-up
forward/
center Othella Harrington. Harrington would go to play in 237 games for New York, while starting in just 77. Vancouver would take
Jamaal Tinsley with the 27th-pick in the draft acquired from New York. February 22 saw guard
Chris Childs and the other first-round draft pick sent to the
Toronto Raptors in exchange for aging guards
Mark Jackson and
Muggsy Bogues. Bogues would never appear in a game for the Knicks, while Jackson would play less than two full seasons for the team that originally made him the 18th pick in the
1987 draft. Two months after the trade, Childs's new team, the Raptors, upset the Knicks in the playoffs, marking the first time in a decade that the Knicks failed to advance past the first round.
2001–2002 With the Knicks no longer having a first round draft pick in the
2001 NBA draft, Layden used the team's two second round picks on Michael Wright of
Arizona (39th overall) and center Eric Chenowith of
Kansas (43rd overall). Neither player ever saw action in the NBA. On July 23, Knicks
shooting guard Allan Houston re-signed as a free agent to a 6-year, $100M guaranteed contract that would keep him in New York until the 2006–07 season, when he would be 35. The signing made Houston, who had never averaged 20-points-per-game in a season at that time, the highest-paid player in franchise history. This transaction put the team "well over $80 million in payroll this season [2001]." Houston retired after the 2004–05 season with chronic knee complications; there was roughly $40,000,000 left on his contract. Less than a month later, on August 10,
Glen Rice was traded to the
Houston Rockets and guard
Muggsy Bogues to the
Dallas Mavericks as part of a three-team deal in exchange for guard
Howard Eisley from the Mavericks and forward
Shandon Anderson from the Rockets. On paper this appeared to be a swap of average NBA players, but this was not the case. Eisley would end up playing in 154 games for Knicks, providing adequate numbers at the
point guard position, but he was in the second year of a 7-year, $41 Million contract that he signed by Layden's former organization, the
Utah Jazz. At the same time, Anderson, another former member of the
Jazz, was in the first year of a 6-year, $42 Million contract that he signed with the
Rockets, which extended through the 2006–07 season. Anderson played in 245 games for the Knicks over four seasons before being waived due to poor performance; he averaged less than 3 rebounds and 8 points-per-game during his stay. In comparison to the contracts New York gave up, Bogues was in the second year of a 4-year $8 Million contract with the fourth year being a team option, and Rice was under contract for three more years and $27 Million. The trade proved to be a bad one for the Knicks as it pushed team far beyond the salary cap limit, limiting their options for years to come. Layden's next major move came after the unexpected resignation of head coach
Jeff Van Gundy on December 8.
Don Chaney was selected as an interim coach for the remainder of the 2001–02 season. After the team went 20-43 .317% under his command, he 《was given a contract extension for the following season.
2002–2003 The biggest move that Layden made during the 2002–03 season was completed on draft night. After selecting
Nenê with the 7th pick in the
2002 NBA draft, Layden immediately traded the player, along with
Marcus Camby and
Mark Jackson, to the
Denver Nuggets, in return for
power forward Antonio McDyess, the draft rights to guard
Frank Williams, and a 2003 second-round draft pick. McDyess, a former #2 draft pick, was already limited to role-player status due to chronic injury; he played only 18 games for the Knicks. Williams was a disappointment, as his Knick career lasted 65 games with only three starts. On the other end of this transaction,
Denver received a solid NBA player in
power forward/
center Marcus Camby. Camby had averaged a
double-double (at least 10 rebounds and 10 points per-game) over his previous two seasons as a Knick to go with nearly 2
blocked shots, along with being an integral part of New York's eastern conference title in 1999.
2003–2004 Layden's last season as the GM for the Knicks started off with the selections of
Mike Sweetney from
Georgetown with the 9th-overall pick in the draft,
Maciej Lampe of
Poland with the 30th pick, and
Slavko Vraneš of
Serbia and Montenegro with the 39th pick. Sweetney was later traded by Layden's successor
Isiah Thomas as part of the deal with the
Chicago Bulls that saw the Knicks acquire
center Eddy Curry. Lampe never played in a game for New York as he was later traded to the
Phoenix Suns, also by
Thomas as part of the deal that saw
Stephon Marbury come to the Knicks. Vraneš also never saw
NBA action with New York, as he was waived by the team after being tendered a 1-year minimum contract; his NBA career totaled one game with the
Portland Trail Blazers, in which he played three minutes and did not score. On July 23, 2003, Layden traded guard
Latrell Sprewell with two years remaining on his contract to the
Minnesota Timberwolves as part of a four-team trade that also included interactions with the
76ers and
Hawks. In return, the Knicks acquired veteran forward
Keith Van Horn. Van Horn, an integral part of the
New Jersey Nets 2002 eastern conference title, played in only 47 games for New York in just one season, averaging 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds-per-game. The last notable transaction that Layden made as general manager came on October 9, when he signed
Dikembe Mutombo to a 2-year contract. Scott Layden was fired on December 22, 2003, by New York Knicks owner
James Dolan.
San Antonio Spurs Layden served as assistant general manager for the
San Antonio Spurs from 2012 to 2016.
Minnesota Timberwolves On April 20, 2016, Layden was appointed as the general manager of the
Minnesota Timberwolves. He served in an advisory role to president of basketball operations
Tom Thibodeau, and continued in the same role when Thibodeau was replaced by Gersson Rosas. On June 7, 2025, Layden and the Kings organization parted ways.
Philadelphia 76ers On October 14, 2025, the
Philadelphia 76ers hired Layden as a scout. ==Personal life==