The New York Knicks were already under immense pressure to nail their current head coaching search. Those stakes are now, somehow, even higher following the (apparent) right Achilles injury Tyrese Haliburton suffered during Game 7 of the NBA Finals—not just because the Eastern Conference now profiles as more wide-open than ever, but because the Indiana Pacers' gutting situation reinforces how fragile and fleeting windows to win have become in this league.
There remains an element of "New York's time is now" at play. The Pacers (Haliburton), Boston Celtics (Jayson Tatum), and Milwaukee Bucks (Damian Lillard) have now all lost stars to devastating Achilles injuries that could, if not almost certainly will, sideline them for the entire 2025-26 season.
This increases the urgency with which the Knicks must operate by default. The same goes for the Orlando Magic upping the ante with the addition of Desmond Bane. Surrounding factors are influencing how much competition New York will face, and the opportunity it has to emerge from the East this time next year.
Yet, the added urgency is, in this case, very specific—and entirely hinges on the next head coach.
Hiring a coach is the biggest move the Knicks will make this offseason
The pressure facing the Knicks would be more general if a longer string of moves was required, or even on the horizon. It's not.
The pressure facing the Knicks would be more general if a longer string of moves was required, or even on the horizon. It's not.
New York has telegraphed its core offseason blueprint by sitting out the Kevin Durant trade sweepstakes, and through its slower-moving coaching search. The organization's overarching message: This isn't a team preparing for material changes to the roster. A new head coach will, in all likelihood, be the biggest splash it makes.
This approach is at once sensible and obvious, and at least a little debatable. The Knicks do not technically have the resources to make significant roster tweaks without shaking up the nucleus. They have zero outright first-round picks to trade, and will not be able to spend more than the mini mid-level exception of $5.7 million in free agency.
The Knicks have to get this coaching hire right
Whether New York's search ends with the hiring of Taylor Jenkins, Mike Brown, or the recently interviewed James Borrego, the decision needs to be the correct one—the perfect one. Not only will Tom Thibodeau's replacement (probably) be the Knicks' biggest offseason addition, but this recent spate of injuries is nothing if not proof of how delicate competitive life cycles have become in the NBA.
The Celtics' window has been open for years, and wasn't supposed to close anytime soon. Their trajectory was open-ended in a way rivaled only by the now-reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pacers, for their part, are supposed to be at the beginning of their contention timeline. Sure, they're working off consecutive conference finals and, now, an NBA Finals appearance. But Haliburton is just 25 years old. Their window isn't supposed to shut, not even for one year.
It is about to anyway. Ditto for the Celtics. And while the Bucks were closer to the end of their rope, the path forward wasn't supposed to be this daunting. Similar logic applies to the Phoenix Suns following their implosion, and to the Dallas Mavericks, on the heels of the shocking Luka Doncic trade.
The lesson in all this: Things in the NBA change fast, and not always for the better. Though the Knicks are set up to remain intact, the next push isn't guaranteed. They need to make the most out of right now, and long ago decided hiring a new head coach is the best way to do it—a defensible choice that continues to carry more weight with each passing day.