Knicks Eyeing Top West Head Coaches to Fulfill Recent Vacancy

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 12:20 PM ET

The New York Knicks made a big move on Tuesday, firing Tom Thibodeau as head coach despite making the conference finals this year for the first time since 2000.

Thibodeau was hired by the Knicks in 2020. He went 226-174 in the regular season and 24-23 in the postseason.

New York beat the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics to advance to the conference finals this year.

The Indiana Pacers defeated the Knicks in six games to advance to the NBA Finals.

“Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans,” Knicks president Leon Rose said in a statement. “This pursuit led us to the decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we’ve decided to move in another direction.

"We can’t thank Tom enough for pouring his heart and soul into each and every day of being the New York Knicks head coach."

According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, the Knicks are interested in Jason Kidd and Ime Udoka.

Kidd coaches the Dallas Mavericks, while Udoka coaches the Houston Rockets.

Neither Kidd nor Udoka is likely to be available for New York.

“Two head coaches who are not currently available but said to interest the Knicks, according to league sources, are Dallas’ Jason Kidd and Houston’s Ime Udoka,” Stein wrote.

“One source with knowledge of the Rockets’ thinking told The Stein Line categorically that permission to speak with Udoka would be rejected if the Knicks requested it. A similar response would be expected from the Mavericks, but a read on their position as conclusive as Houston’s could not be immediately confirmed Tuesday night."

It will be fascinating to see who replaces Thibodeau, who has coached the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves and Knicks. He has won two Coach of the Year Awards but has never coached a team to the NBA Finals.

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

More must-reads: