Tom Thibodeau finalizing five-year contract to become Knicks head coach

The New York Knicks appear to have the man they wanted all along.

As first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Knicks are finalizing a five-year contract with Tom Thibodeau to become the team’s new head coach.

The New York Knicks and Tom Thibodeau are finalizing a five-year deal to make him the franchise’s next coach, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 25, 2020

Though the Knicks were linked to numerous coaching candidates, it was pretty clear that Thibodeau was their clear No. 1 choice, and has been for months. The team’s hiring of Leon Rose as team president, who is close with Thibodeau, only seemed to reinforce that.

Thibodeau’s most successful coaching stop remains the Chicago Bulls, where he made the playoffs in each of his five seasons. He went on to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to their first playoff appearance in 14 years in 2018, but he was dismissed as coach and team president in 2019.