NBA insider claims the Knicks and Hall of Famer share interest for head coaching role

The New York Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1999-00. Despite their deep postseason run, the franchise opted to fire head coach Tom Thibodeau last week bringing the two-time NBA Coach of the Year's five-year stint leading the team to an end.

Their attention has now turned to the offseason, where the first task will be figuring out who will be their next head coach. An NBA insider recently suggested that the Knicks could target a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, who spent the final season of his playing career in New York.

Brian Windhorst appeared on SportsCenter, where he shared that Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd and the Knicks share interest in a potential partnership.

"The way I would describe this is there's mutual intrigue on both sides," ESPN's Brian Windhorst claimed Monday. "And, also, I know there's this whole thing about asking for permission. You don't ask for permission to hire another team's coach. When you ask, you're going to hire them. So, essentially, when the Knicks express interest the ball will be in the Mavericks court."

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"They have three options as I see it," Windhorst continued. "One, they could just say 'no, thank you very much. Jason, we'll see you in the fall -- look forward to the season, look forward to Cooper Flagg'. They can try to make Jason Kidd have zero interest in the Knicks, possibly with a new contract -- they did just give him an extension last year. Or, they can negotiate a trade and we have seen a handful of trades of coaches over the last 15 to 18 years, including Jason Kidd being traded from the Brooklyn Nets to the Milwaukee Bucks for two second-round picks 11 years ago. So, it's not like Jason Kidd hasn't been in this situation before."

It is unclear if the Mavericks have any interest in allowing Kidd to pursue other opportunities. The franchise, who reached the NBA Finals under his leadership in 2023-24, will look to contend next season with a core of Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving when he returns from injury, and -- presumably -- projected first overall pick Cooper Flagg.

While New York could offer draft capital to make a deal worth it for Dallas, the more likely option seems that they will turn their attention elsewhere. The Knicks have also been linked to Mike Malone and Mike Budenholzer -- both of whom have won NBA titles this decade.

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