Report: Mike Budenholzer prefers Knicks job over Hawks return

Mike Budenholzer is very much in a New York state of mind.

Marc Berman of the New York Post reported Sunday that the former Coach of the Year prefers the New York Knicks job over a return to the Atlanta Hawks. Berman relays that the Knicks are Budenholzer’s top choice and that he wants to live in New York. He also adds that the 48-year-old appears so disillusioned with the state of the Hawks that it is difficult to envision him coming back.

Budenholzer, who interviewed with the Knicks over the weekend, has coached the Hawks since 2013. He has certainly seen some ups and downs in his time there, presiding over a 60-win season in the 2014-15 campaign as well as a 24-win season this past year. Budenholzer also used to be Atlanta’s president of basketball operations in addition to their coach but resigned from the former position in 2017. He has two years and $13 million left on his current deal.

While Knicks are also facing an uncertain future as a rebuilding team (especially with franchise player Kristaps Porzingis nursing a torn ACL), the mega-market allure will always be there. Still, there is no guarantee that Budenholzer is at the top of their list, which is quite an impressive one.