Knicks Turned Down By 5th NBA Team In Request To Interview Head Coaches

First, it was the Houston Rockets who denied the NY Knicks a chance to speak with head coach Ime Udoka, followed by the Minnesota Timberwolves and Chris Finch. Then it was the Chicago Bulls and Billy Donovan, and then the Dallas Mavericks and Jason Kidd. Now, the Knicks have been turned down by a 5th NBA team in their request to try to poach a currently employed head coach.

Another one: The New York Knicks have requested permission to speak with Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder, but were firmly denied, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 11, 2025

The Knicks requested permission to speak with Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder, but were "firmly denied", per insider Shams Charania.

Can it get any worse for the Knicks, who fired head coach Tom Thibodeau last week shortly after they were eliminated in the Conference Finals by the Indiana Pacers?

This is becoming embarrassing for the New York Knicks. Maybe should've not fired Thibs so soon.
— Jeri Tsai (@JeriTsaiNets) June 11, 2025

Which teams have refused the Knicks' request for coaching interview?

The Rockets, Timberwolves, Mavericks, Bulls and now Hawks have all denied the Knicks a chance to speak with their head coaches about taking over the New York job. All five of those bench bosses are considered among the best at their craft.

Christian Clark and Sam Amick reported in The Athletic that for Kidd, he might have had another agenda in mind with this whole 'Knicks interest' thing:

"The widely held belief is that Kidd, ultimately, is hoping to parlay the Knicks’ interest into a lucrative contract extension."

The writers added that the Knicks' interest in Kidd is long-standing, as they also interviewed him back in 2020 before they hired Thibodeau. Kidd built up a strong relationship with Jalen Brunson while he was in Dallas. He is now the toast of New York as the face of their franchise.