According to the latest report from league insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, the Knicks are not expected to make a decision on who the next head coach of the franchise will be until after next weeks NBA draft. While I can get behind wanting to conduct a thorough hiring process, in what is a pivotal decision for the organization, but waiting until after the draft is a mistake.
After the Knicks dismissed Tom Thibodeau, their first plan was to try to poach a current head coach from a different team. The approached Dallas, Minnesota, Houston, Chicago, and Atlanta about speaking to their coaches, and were emphatically turned down by all five teams.
After that, they turned their attention to two head coaches with prior head coaching experience, both of whom were fired during the 2024-25 season: Mike Brown, formerly with the Sacramento Kings, and Taylor Jenkins, who last coached the Memphis Grizzlies.
According to reports from Stein, Fischer, and others, the Knicks conducted interviews with both Brown and Jenkins last week. It seems that both candidates have varying levels of support from internal decision makers, but seemingly not enough for either to get the position yet.
Waiting until after the draft is a mistake
Part of bringing on a new coach is filling out a staff that they choose and potentially making changes to the roster. While the Knicks only have one pick in the upcoming draft, a second-rounder, it is an opportunity to add to the roster during trades. It doesn't make sense to wait to choose who will be leading the team until after that point.
Conducting a thorough hiring process is one thing. The Knicks are the only coaching vacancy in the league, so they are not competing with other teams for candidates. That said, dragging this process out over the summer is a mistake.
Waiting on Jason Kidd?
Certain reporters have indicated that, despite getting a firm "No!" from the Dallas Mavericks, the Knicks are holding out hope that head coach Jason Kidd will still try to force his way to New York.
ClutchPoints reported that until the Mavericks and Kidd reach an agreement on a contract extension, the Knicks will consider the door at least partially open. That could be one explanation for why the Knicks are still delaying making a new hire. Perhaps they are just biding their time, while monitoring Kidd's situation, and hoping it plays out in their favor.