Knicks Denied Permission To Speak With Quin Snyder, Billy Donovan

[RealGM Wiretap]

The New York Knicks have reached out to the teams of two more head coaches they are interested in hiring for their head coaching jobs and were denied as they were previously for Jason Kidd, Ime Udoka and Chris Finch.

The Knicks reached out to the Atlanta Hawks to speak with Quin Snyder, but were firmly denied, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

According to K.C. Johnson of NBC Chicago, the Chicago Bulls denied the Knicks permission to speak with Billy Donovan. The Bulls continue to highly value Donovan.

New York is searching for a new head coach to replace Tom Thibodeau. 

Via RealGM Staff Report

[Pickled Prunes]

Quin Snyder, I get it, he's a great coach. Billy Donovan, I don't get, he's average at best.

[NUMBERICA]

So… the Knicks fired the dude that was important to bringing them success - which nobody disputes - and they didn’t have a plan afterwards.

Are the Knicks returning to their roots of being a garbage franchise?

[Future Coach]

Quin Snyder, I get it, he's a great coach. Billy Donovan, I don't get, he's average at best.

Bulls should have allowed it and asked for a 1st round pick if they made a deal.

[Zeno]

Billy Donovan is a really under rated coach. I think has generally done a very good job with what he has been given.

[tigerae]

I don't understand this thinking of them asking to interview current head coaches.

[M2J]

Call Philly offer picks

[Bolsolixo]

If they offer 2 or 3 picks Brooklyn will let tem Interview their guy

[Tamimi]

Call the Bucks and beg for Rivers. You deserve him.

[Indomitable]

So they are going to every team and flexing.

[JKiddy]

So… the Knicks fired the dude that was important to bringing them success - which nobody disputes - and they didn’t have a plan afterwards.

Are the Knicks returning to their roots of being a garbage franchise?

Yes.

[t-rexCity]

I don't understand this thinking of them asking to interview current head coaches.

Exactly. Not sure if all this reporting is just made up or not. If true, it just doesn't make sense for them to just keep going around and asking teams 'can I take your coach'? I think the media is mocking them at this point with all these reporting

[WiggOuts]

Theres some pretty damn good coaches that ARE available, why not check them out. Malone, Jenkins and Bud, just to name a few are great options. 2 of these guys have chips

[Pickled Prunes]

Quin Snyder, I get it, he's a great coach. Billy Donovan, I don't get, he's average at best.

Bulls should have allowed it and asked for a 1st round pick if they made a deal.

I believe the only tradeable 1st the NYK have is a top-8 protected from WAS in 2026 that becomes a WAS 2nd if it does not convey.

[MartyConlonJr]

I guess it is reasonable to ask, coaches have been traded for picks in the past. You never know if you don't ask, and some good coaches that we assumed were safe were fired this season.

So if you ask a team that is considering removing the coach, and they know they could trade away their salary and possibly get compensation in picks rather than just eat the contract, it is worth a shot.

What looks bad is that they got outcoached by Rick Carlisle, a top coach, and said Tom Thibodeau is not the level of coach they need going forward, and fired him. The assumption should be that "a better coach is out there" and available to replace him.

By now asking for five coaches that are already head coaches and being rebuffed immediately, it looks like you will be left with what is on the pile that no longer looks like "a better coach is out there", it looks more like "I guess these guys will have to do", which is different than if they just went to Mike Malone and Taylor Jenkins etc initially.

I guess as long as Knicks know that either of those guys are better than Thibs, it is just optics, but it does look a little more desperate now.

I also think Dallas probably loved rebuffing Knicks on Jason Kidd after Knicks tampered to get Brunson and had to forfeit a 2nd round pick after the investigation that was clearly initiated by a Mavericks complaint. Not sure why the Knicks thought Dallas would play nice with them at all.