Exploring Potential Candidates to Lead the Knicks as Head Coach

Jason Kidd, Jay Wright, Johnnie Bryant

With Tom Thibodeau out as head coach, the Knicks now face a pivotal decision in choosing the next leader to guide their most promising roster in decades. Who’s your pick?

Less than twenty-four hours after reports surfaced claiming his job was “safe,” the Knicks pulled the plug. Thibodeau exits as the winningest coach in modern franchise history, delivering 226 regular-season victories, four series wins, and New York’s first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2000. He also snapped an eight-year playoff drought in 2021 and finished with a .565 winning percentage, the highest of any Knicks coach this century. Whether you admired his grind-it-out defensive mindset or criticized his inflexible rotations, that era is over. A new voice is coming to Midtown Manhattan.

Here’s a look at the top coaching candidates who could take the reins, ranked by their coaching experience and track record, not personal preference:

1. The Culture Architect: Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat)

Pros:

Spoelstra is the gold standard among current NBA coaches. He has led the Heat to two championships (2012, 2013), six Finals appearances, and compiled a 787-572 regular-season record with 110 playoff wins. Renowned for his tactical flexibility, Spoelstra often shifts defensive looks mid-series, like the extended 2-3 zone that stifled Boston in the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals. His eight-year, $120 million extension in 2024, the largest ever for an NBA coach, reinforces his status as both a strategic genius and a locker room unifier.

Cons:

That same extension makes him nearly untouchable. Pat Riley has labeled Spoelstra off-limits, and Miami would demand a king’s ransom in draft picks to even consider parting ways. Even then, it’s unlikely Spoelstra would abandon a front office that gives him full autonomy for a Knicks job loaded with pressure and media scrutiny.

2. The Championship Proven Native: Michael Malone (Former Nuggets Coach)

Pros:

The Queens-born Malone helped deliver Denver’s first NBA title in 2023, guided by a stellar 510-394 regular-season record and 44 playoff wins. He also reached the Western Conference Finals in 2020 and 2023. Offensively, his Jokic-Murray two-man game remains a masterclass in spacing and reads, while his teams routinely defended well even without elite rim protection. Having served as a Knicks assistant from 2001 to 2005, Malone understands the New York spotlight.

Cons:

Denver parted ways with him in April, reportedly over disputes around playing time and front-office input. Critics argue one title with Nikola Jokić isn't a reflection of elite coaching but underachievement. His reliance on tight, veteran-heavy rotations could also remind fans too much of Thibodeau’s inflexibility.

3. The Floor General’s Mentor: Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks)

Pros:

Kidd has guided the Nets, Bucks, and Mavericks to playoff appearances, with a career 362-339 record. After taking a year away from coaching, he joined the Los Angeles Lakers as an assistant and helped them capture the 2020 NBA title. He then returned to the Mavericks in 2021 as head coach, guiding them to the Western Conference Finals in his debut season and reaching the NBA Finals again in 2024. As a Hall of Fame point guard, he’s known for empowering lead ball-handlers. Luka Dončić praised his freedom in pick-and-roll sets. His connection to Jalen Brunson is notable, having coached him in Dallas from 2021 to 2022. He also played for the Knicks in the 2012-13 season that won 54 games.

Cons:

Kidd’s offensive schemes can become overly reliant on ball-dominant guards, often leading to stagnant possessions without a secondary creator. And during Giannis Antetokounmpo’s early development years in Milwaukee, Kidd failed to win a single playoff series. Defensively, his Mavericks dropped to 22nd in rating earlier this season, but a mid-season coordinator change helped steady the unit, bumping them up slightly to 18th by the end of the season. He’s also under contract following a recent extension, making a move costly and complicated.

4. The College Legend with Ties to the Core: Jay Wright (Former Villanova Coach)

Pros:

Wright won two national championships (2016, 2018), reached four Final Fours, and recorded 520 wins during his Villanova tenure. His biggest selling point is the immediate trust he shares with Knicks standouts Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges, all of whom he coached at Villanova and helped guide to two NCAA championship wins. Wright’s “smart over flash” basketball philosophy could mesh well with the front office’s team-first approach.

Cons:

No college coach has transitioned to a championship-winning NBA head coach role since Larry Brown in 2004. The NBA’s 82-game schedule, limited practice time, and free-agent churn contrast sharply with the controlled college environment. Wright stepped away from Villanova citing the mental toll, so leading the Knicks might not appeal despite the strong locker-room connections.

5. The Defensive Transformer: Ime Udoka (Houston Rockets)

Pros:

Udoka led Boston to the NBA Finals in 2022 and transformed the Houston Rockets from a 22-60 team into a 52-win powerhouse and a No. 2 seed within two seasons. His defenses, shaped by foundational principles learned under Gregg Popovich, evolved into switch-heavy schemes that helped push Houston to fourth in defensive efficiency this season. He also brings championship experience as a 2014 Spurs assistant and briefly played for the Knicks in 2006.

Cons:

Udoka is under contract with the Rockets through the 2026-27 season, and team owner Tilman Fertitta recently referred to him as 'the cornerstone' of the franchise. That makes permission to interview unlikely. The 2023 suspension in Boston for workplace misconduct would also face renewed media attention in New York. While accomplished, Udoka only has two years of playoff head-coaching experience.

6. The Internal Favorite: Johnnie Bryant (Knicks Associate Head Coach)

Pros:

Bryant has built a strong reputation as a player development guru. He helped shape Donovan Mitchell’s scoring arsenal in Utah and has been Jalen Brunson’s most trusted sideline voice, first during his time at Villanova and later in New York under now former head coach Tom Thibodeau. On NBA benches since 2012, Bryant is currently a finalist for Phoenix’s open coaching role, which signals league-wide confidence in his readiness. His age (39) and rapport with younger players could resonate with this under-30 core.

Cons:

He has never led an NBA team as head coach, which presents a risk for a franchise with high postseason aspirations. Bryant is known more for refining talent than crafting advanced game plans, meaning he’d need a strong tactical staff around him. For a team looking to take the next leap, hiring a rookie head coach could be viewed as premature.

Other Names on the Radar

• Mike Budenholzer: 2021 NBA champion with Milwaukee, former head coach of the Phoenix Suns

• Taylor Jenkins: Fired by Memphis despite a solid 250-214 record and three playoff appearances

• Mike Brown: 2023 Coach of the Year in Sacramento, dismissed after a slow start (13-18) to the 2024-25 season

• Others potential candidates: Dan Hurley, Sam Cassell, Jeff Van Gundy, Dave Bliss, and more

The Verdict

Leon Rose must now decide whether to stick with proven tacticians like Spoelstra or Malone, lean into cultural continuity with Wright or Udoka, or embrace the modern, player-first approach of Bryant. The Knicks are built to win now. The Garden doesn’t just demand a leader, it demands a Finals contender. Whoever takes over will inherit the franchise’s deepest core since 1999 and the brightest spotlight in basketball.