New York Knicks Wiretap

The New York Knicks hired Mike Brown on Monday, turning to the two-time NBA Coach of the Year after firing Tom Thibodeau.

"After a thorough and extensive search process, we are pleased to announce Mike Brown as the head coach of the New York Knicks," Knicks president Leon Rose said in a statement. "Mike has coached on the biggest stages in our sport and brings championship pedigree to our organization.

"His experience leading the bench during the NBA Finals, winning four titles as an assistant coach, and his ability to grow and develop players will all help us as we aim to bring a championship to New York for our fans."

Guerschon Yabusele agreed to sign with the New York Knicks slightly below the full $5.7 million tax midlevel exception at $5.5 million. The maneuver allows the Knicks to preserve enough cap space to sign another player on a veteran minimum contract.

Yabusele has a player option for the 2026-27 season worth $5.775 million. The deal was originally reported as $12 million over two seasons.

Yabusele, who is represented by Richie Felder, Olivier Mazet and Drew Morrison, returned to the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers this past season after five seasons playing in Europe. Yabusele was on a one-year, $2.1 million deal with the Sixers.

In 70 games with the Sixers, Yabusele averaged 11.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 27.1 minutes with shooting splits of 50/38/73. The Sixers reportedly only offered a $2.6 million minimum in their efforts to retain him.

The Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks have registered interest in adding Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham to their coaching staff, sources told Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

The Bucks are looking to hold onto Ham and consider a position with the Suns or Knicks a lateral move. They would only let Ham go for a head coaching opportunity.

Both Jordan Ott and Mike Brown, along with Grizzlies' coach Tuomas Iisalo, are looking for a No. 1 assistant coach.

The Knicks are also interested in adding Phil Handy to their staff. 

The New York Knicks head coaching search came to end when they hired Mike Brown. Now that Brown has been officially hired, we know that the Knicks signed him to a four-year, $40 million contract.

Brown is taking over for Tom Thibodeau, who was fired with three years and $30 million remaining on his contract. Brown's former contract with the Sacramento Kings will be offset by some amount. Sacramento fired him with during the first year of his three-year, $25.5 million extension.

The New York Knicks will hire Mike Brown as their next head coach as both sides work through contract details. Brown will replace Tom Thibodeau as head coach of Knicks' team coming off a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. Brown met with James Dolan as the final part of the process on Tuesday.

Brown is available after he was fired by the Sacramento Kings in December. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year. Brown also has won four NBA championships as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors. 

The Knicks could also hire James Borrego as Brown's top assistant. Borrego interviewed with the Knicks for the head coaching job. Rick Brunson is expected to be retained as an assistant coach on the staff.

Jason Kidd was initially identified as the Knicks' preferred candidate, but Dallas Mavericks were not amenable to allowing him to leave the franchise.

The Knicks also interviewed Taylor Jenkins and Micah Nori for the position.

Jason Kidd and the Dallas Mavericks are expected to reach agreement on a contract extension before the start of the 2025-26 season. The Mavericks rejected the New York Knicks request to speak with Kidd about their head coaching vacancy. Kidd was widely believed to be the top choice of the Knicks.

Kidd signed a two-year extension with the Mavericks in May 2024 when he similarly emerged as a candidate for the Los Angeles Lakers' job.

The Mavericks hired Kidd as head coach in 2021 to replace Rick Carlisle.

Kidd has become the Mavericks' leading spokesman as Nico Harrison continues to be a controversial figure with fans following his decision to trade Luka Doncic to the Lakers. 

The Mavericks lost top assistant Sean Sweeney to the San Antonio Spurs this offseason along with Alex Jensen to the University of Utah. Jared Dudley could also exit the Mavericks. Kidd hopes to hire Frank Vogel to replace Sweeney.

The New York Knicks have been telling prospective head coaching free agents that they are nearing a decision on their position with Mike Brown widely regarded as the favorite. Brown will still require the endorsement of James Dolan before the Knicks move forward with the hire.

The Knicks are searching for a new head coach to replace Tom Thibodeau, who was fired despite the team reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000.

Brown is available after he was fired by the Sacramento Kings in December.

The Knicks could also hire James Borrego as Brown's top assistant. Borrego interviewed with the Knicks for the head coaching job. Rick Brunson is expected to be retained as an assistant coach on the staff.

Jason Kidd was initially identified as the Knicks' preferred candidate, but Dallas Mavericks were not amenable to allowing him to leave the franchise.

Russell Westbrook has received interest from the New York Knicks and Sacramento Kings, but both teams now appear unlikely to be able to sign him. The Knicks had interest, but instead have signed Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele in free agency.

The Kings considered executing a sign-and-trade for Dennis Schroder, but they will now sign him outright and that now makes also signing Westbrook complicated because Malik Monk remains in what would currently be a crowded backcourt.

Westbrook spent last season with the Denver Nuggets and had some strong moments, but generally uneven play. The Nuggets brought back Bruce Brown Jr. this offseason two seasons after helping them win the 2023 NBA championship.

Westbrook averaged 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.4 steals in 27.9 minutes across 75 games with the Nuggets.

Guerschon Yabusele and the New York Knicks have agreed to a two-year, $12 million contract. Yabusele will receive a player option for Year 2 ahead of the 2026-27 season.

Yabusele, who is represented by Richie Felder, Olivier Mazet and Drew Morrison, returned to the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers this past season after five seasons playing in Europe. Yabusele was on a one-year, $2.1 million deal with the Sixers.

In 70 games with the Sixers, Yabusele averaged 11.0 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 27.1 minutes with shooting splits of 50/38/73.

Al Horford is drawing interest from several contending teams, including the Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Lakers, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

The Warriors are reportedly prioritizing signing Horford. 

Horford averaged 9.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists last season while shooting 36.3 percent from three.