5. No Trade Necessary
The previous holdup when discussing a potential decision to hire Mike Budenholzer was the need to provide compensation. Paying Budenholzer was inevitable, but he was still under contract with the Atlanta Hawks, meaning the New York Knicks would’ve had to execute a trade.
Budenholzer has since parted ways with the Hawks, which means the Knicks will no longer have to offer anything but money for his services.
When Budenholzer was still under contract with the Hawks, the organization would have had the right to overrule an attempted hiring. Atlanta granted New York permission to meet with Budenholzer, which indicated that it was willing to turn over a new leaf.
In order to do so, however, many speculated that the Hawks would request a package centered around draft picks—assets that the Knicks couldn’t afford to part with.
Due to the fact that Budenholzer is no longer employed by the Hawks, the Knicks can move forward without offering additional compensation. Considering he’s made it clear that he wants to coach New York, the path is as clear as ever.
The only question at this point is if the organization believes it can work with Budenholzer to return the Knicks to prominence.