The New York Knicks have requested permission to interview several NBA head coaches who are under contract with other teams, but two of the most decorated in the league were not among the group.
The Knicks have attempted to interview at least five head coaches who are currently employed by other NBA teams, and all of those requests have been denied. Many have wondered if there were others on the list, such as Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr or Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
According to SNY’s Ian Begley, the Knicks did not seek to interview Kerr or Spoelstra.
Seeing some people asking about this so for those interested: Knicks also have not yet reached out to Miami for permission to speak with Erik Spoelstra regarding their head coaching vacancy, per league sources familiar with the matter
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) June 13, 2025
That probably saves the Knicks some embarrassment. If they cannot even get the Atlanta Hawks to allow them to interview Quin Snyder, their chances of being granted permission to speak with Kerr or Spoelstra are less than zero.
Kerr has won four championships with the Warriors. Spoelstra has two titles in Miami. The two coaches have more job security than arguably any others in the league, so you can understand why the Knicks did not bother.
The Knicks have even reportedly spoken with a top college coach, which is why some people feel they are getting desperate. It is not the best look that they are striking out in their head coach search after firing Tom Thibodeau, who just led the team on an unexpected Eastern Conference Finals run.
Some other candidates who are not currently employed have been connected to the Knicks job, but it seems obvious that New York is missing out on many of its top choices.
