The New York Knicks fired coach Tom Thibodeau almost a week ago. And they have no clear name on the next big name still to this day.
They took the NBA community by surprise while announcing Thibodeau sacking. But little did they know that they don’t have a clear picture of what would come next. And now they are having panic attacks.
Now, the Knicks are on the hunt for a new head coach, and a few big names have popped up in the conversation. Jason Kidd, currently leading the Dallas Mavericks, and Ime Udoka from the Houston Rockets are among those being mentioned.
As of Tuesday night, the Knicks haven’t reached out to Kidd for an interview yet. But insiders believe the Mavericks feel confident that he’ll be back for another season. On the other hand, the Knicks did make a move to talk to Udoka, but the Rockets quickly shot that down.
Knicks formally reached out to Rockets for permission to talk to head coach Ime Udoka and Rockets denied permission, per people familiar with Rockets’ stance. @MikeFrancesa said Knicks reached out to Minnesota and were denied permission to talk to Chris Finch. The Athletic’s…
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) June 11, 2025
They also tried contacting the Minnesota Timberwolves about Chris Finch, but unfortunately, they were denied there too.
With all the buzz surrounding Kidd, it’s possible the Knicks could formally ask to interview him soon. However, if that doesn’t happen, fans might find themselves cheering for someone they didn’t see coming as the next head coach.
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New York Knicks Getting Hard Time Finding Their Next Head Coach
This season, the New York Knicks went on a historic run to reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 long years.
But they prefer parting ways with their coach despite the success. And it seems like Thibodeau’s curse is now haunting them in terms of denials.
Despite these denials, the Knicks are considering reaching out to other current head coaches. In addition to their next big target Jason Kidd, NY can look for other big names as well.
Additionally, Jay Wright has reportedly expressed no interest in the Knicks’ coaching job. He previously coached three players from the current Knicks roster during his tenure at Villanova.
Both Udoka and Finch are coming off strong seasons. The Rockets achieved a playoff berth for the first time in four years and finished as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
Additionally, the Timberwolves reached the conference finals for the second consecutive year.
