Phil Jackson is reportedly interested in hiring Luke Walton to be the New York Knicks’ next head coach, but he has not received permission to express that interest. If Jackson went and tried to recruit Walton anyway, he could face tampering charges.
Walton admitted on Monday that he spoke to Jackson over the phone, though he insists it had nothing to do with coaching the Knicks. The Golden State Warriors assistant says he considers Jackson a “mentor” and speaks to him from time to time.
“There was no job interview whatsoever,” Walton told Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News. “It was just a conversation which is not that rare for Phil and I to have.”
As Frank Isola of the New York Daily News notes, the Warriors could file tampering charges over Jackson speaking to one of their assistants without permission during a playoff run. Golden State head coach Steve Kerr, also a friend of Jackson’s, has made it clear Jackson was not granted permission.
“Luke and Phil have had contact, just like Phil and I have had contact, but not anything to do with the job,” Kerr said, per Marc Berman of the New York Post. “That would be tampering. If somebody wants to speak with Luke, they know the protocol. They would call [general manager] Bob [Myers] and we will handle it. We’ll give Luke permission, but it would be after a series ended and we have a little spare time.
“But it’s important to note that Phil has not reached out to Luke about the job. Friendships sometimes dictate conversation, and there was some of that.”
Kerr and Jackson have a history, so it seems unlikely that he would want to file tampering charges. The front office could disagree, however, if Jackson was trying to recruit Walton during a playoff run.
If Jackson was fined for tampering, it would not be the first time. The NBA docked him $25,000 in 2014 when he spoke publicly about possibly hiring Derek Fisher, who was still with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Judging by these recent comments, it seems unlikely that Walton will be taking the Knicks job — at least this offseason. One report claims Jackson believes the 36-year-old is not leaving Golden State. We’ll know more after the postseason.
