Two of the current head coaches the New York Knicks tried to steal may still yet become tenable prospects for the franchise this summer.
This week, it was revealed that the Knicks first reached out to five rival franchises about possibly interviewing their head coaches about New York's new head coaching vacancy. The Knicks let five-year head coach Tom Thibodeau go after he brought the club to its first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 25 years this spring.
(from left) Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Jared Dudley and assistant coach Greg St. Jean and head coach Jason Kidd and assistant coach Sean Sweeney.
(from left) Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Jared Dudley and assistant coach Greg St. Jean and head coach Jason Kidd and assistant coach Sean Sweeney.
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
New York reportedly spoke with the Minnesota Timberwolves about Chris Finch, the Dallas Mavericks about Jason Kidd, the Houston Rockets about Ime Udoka, the Atlanta Hawks about Quin Snyder and the Chicago Bulls about Billy Donovan.
All those coaches save Donovan — who has only made the playoffs once in five seasons with Chicago — have led their teams to deep playoff runs in recent years.
Shams Charania of ESPN has indicated that the Knicks are prepping to speak with two actually available longtime head coaches, Taylor Jenkins (most recently with the Memphis Grizzlies) and Mike Brown (formerly of the Sacramento Kings), at some point in the coming week.
James L. Edwards of The Athletic has outlined the scenario in which the Knicks could at least poach Kidd and Donovan down the line.
"The belief around the league is that Kidd and Donovan are looking for contract extensions from their current franchises, and if those don't materialize, they might be open to joining the Knicks," Edwards writes.
For an incumbent head coach to switch teams, typically the club losing said coach is compensated with future draft equity. That actually happened with Kidd, when he jumped ship from the Brooklyn Nets to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2014, after Giannis Antetokounmpo's encouraging rookie season.
In his four years with Dallas, Kidd has led the club to a 179-149 overall regular season record (.546) and a 22-18 playoff record (.550), including two Western Conference Finals runs and one NBA Finals appearance just last year.
With the Mavericks' former best player, Luka Doncic, now set to spend the rest of his prime with the Los Angeles Lakers, it's possible Kidd may want to return to the team where he wrapped up his playing career. Then again, Dallas has the No. 1 pick in this month's 2025 NBA Draft, and seems likely to select another transformative franchise player, Duke phenom Cooper Flagg.
Kidd has proven himself to be an innovative tactician and a strong leader during his third head coaching role, and he may have a good shot at nabbing this theoretical extension.
Donovan's tenure in Chicago has been rockier, although that is in part a function of Bulls team president Arturas Karnisovas' questionable roster-building. There is little accountability in Chicago these days, so it's possible he gets his potential extension, too, despite his performance not necessarily warranting it.
Donovan has gone just 195-205 with the Bulls, and again has made the playoffs only once during his five seasons with the club. Chicago lost its lone playoff appearance under Donovan, a five-game stinker against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2022. He is one of the longest-tenured head coaches in the league somehow.