Knicks Next Coach Odds – Three Candidates Listed at +450 or Shorter
By Sascha Paruk in NBA Basketball
Published:
- The odds on the New York Knicks head coach have been posted
- The list is a mix of former NBA HCs, current assistants, and college legends
- See the odds to be the next Knicks head coach
The New York Knicks made a huge splash on Tuesday when they fired head coach Tom Thibodeau after five fairly successful seasons. The search for a new boss is on, and the position will be one of the most-sought-after in recent history. Not only is New York the biggest market, the Knicks are stacked with talent and currently own the best 2026 NBA title odds in the Eastern Conference.
Knicks Next Coach Odds
Former Nuggets boss Michael Malone, who was just let go by Denver in April, is the +200 favorite, followed by current Cleveland assistant Johnnie Bryant at +300, and former Villanova coach Jay Wright at +450. The Knicks roster is replete with former Villanova stars: Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges.
Michael Malone Has a Championship Pedigree
Thibodeau led the Knicks to at least the Eastern Conference semifinals in each of the last three seasons, something the Knicks hadn’t done as a franchise since the 96-97 to 98-99 seasons. But that wasn’t good enough for ownership, so it’s clearly championship or bust, and Michael Malone is a coach who’s already reached the pinnacle.
Malone guided the Denver Nuggets to the NBA championship in 2023. The Nuggets also reached the West final in 2020, and the West semis in 2019, 2021, and 2024. They missed the playoffs in the first three seasons of his tenure (2015-16 to 2017-18).
Johnnie Bryant Worked Wonders With Cavs
Despite being just 39 years of age, Johnnie Bryant has been an NBA assistant since 2014. After a six-year stint with the Jazz, he was the Knicks associate head coach from 2020-2024, before taking on that same role with the Cavaliers ahead of last season.
The Cavaliers made a huge jump during Bryant’s first season with the team. Cleveland finished first by a country mile in Offensive Rating (121.0) and had the third-best Net Rating in the league (+9.2) en route to securing the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
For comparison, in the 2023-24 season, Cleveland was just 12th in Net Rating at +2.5.
Would Jay Wright Even Take the Knicks Job?
Of course, on a certain level, Jay Wright would make an abundance of sense. Not only does he already have years of experience with three of New York’s most-important players, he also won national championships with them (2016, 2018). But the 63-year-old has been retired since 2022 and has literally never coached in the NBA in any capacity.
Crossing Broad reports that all signs point to Wright not wanting the job. Wright is currently a TV analyst, working for CBS and TNT since retiring.
Managing Editor
Sascha has been working in the sports-betting industry since 2014, and quickly paired his strong writing skills with a burgeoning knowledge of probability and statistics. He holds an undergraduate degree in linguistics and a Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia.
