Dave Checketts was a few months into …

Dave Checketts was a few months into his job as Knicks president in 1991, having just pushed through his seismic hiring of Pat Riley. He was dining with agent Bill Pollak in Manhattan, with the purpose of negotiating an extension for Pollak’s client, Charles Oakley. When the conversation shifted to Patrick Ewing, Checketts learned about Golden State’s plot to poach his All-Star. Pollak explained that his other client — Chris Mullin — was urged by the Warriors to restructure his contract so more money was guaranteed on the front-end. Ewing was the reason. Because of a unique contractual clause, New York’s center would become a free agent if he wasn’t among the NBA’s top-4 highest-paid players for the 1991-92 season. Ewing’s deal left him at No. 4 in salary, behind only Cleveland’s John Williams, Houston’s Hakeem OIajuwon and Chicago’s Michael Jordan.