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Knicks denied interviews with 3 head coaching candidates

Originally posted on Empire Sports Media
By Dylan Backer | Last updated Jun 11, 2025 11:50 AM ET

The New York Knicks’ head coaching search has hit a stalemate. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania , the Knicks have been denied interviews with three employed head coaches after requesting interviews with them: Dallas Mavericks’ Jason Kidd, Houston Rockets’ Ime Udoka, and Minnesota Timberwolves’ Chris Finch.

Knicks denied interviews with a few key head coaching candidates

The Knicks had reported interest in each of those coaches from the beginning of the head coaching search. However, the general feeling was that they were more likely to be turned away, given that each of those teams is competitive and a playoff contender.

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New York seems like they want a coach with experience to be their new face of the team. They have expressed interest in several candidates, but they will now need to pivot in a different direction after being turned away by three different teams.

They could also pursue younger, less experienced faces to be their next head coach. Cleveland Cavaliers associate head coach Johnnie Bryant has been a name floated around thanks to his previous ties with the Knicks.

The Knicks need to take a different approach to their search

Though Bryant has no NBA head coaching experience, he has proven to be a successful associate in good systems. This past season, the Cavaliers won 64 games and were the top seed in the Eastern Conference with Bryant working alongside Kenny Atkinson.

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Other names that have been floated around include former Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown and former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone. Both coaches were let go by their respective teams during the regular season and are now both available if the Knicks express interest.

The Knicks will continue to scout each and every candidate possible before they finally settle on their next franchise head coach. As the options quickly narrow, it will be interesting to see what direction they head in as the search continues.

This article first appeared on Empire Sports Media and was syndicated with permission.

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