The New York Knicks are relieving Tom Thibodeau of his head coaching duties, according to sources that spoke to ESPN’s Shams Charania. This comes just three days after the Indiana Pacers eliminated the Knicks from the 2025 NBA Playoffs.
“Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans. This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we’ve decided to move in another direction,” said Knicks President Leon Rose in a statement. “We can’t thank Tom enough for pouring his heart and soul into each and every day of being the New York Knicks head coach. He led us not only with class and professionalism for the past five seasons but also to tremendous success on the court with four playoff berths and four playoff series victories. Ultimately, we made the decision we feel is best for our organization moving forward. Tom will always be a part of our Knicks family, and we truly wish him nothing but the best in the future.”
The Knicks are singularly focused on their pursuit of a championship and believe a new voice will serve as the focus for the organization’s next step, sources said. After five seasons with the Knicks, Tom Thibodeau is out as head coach. https://t.co/OmVzLwKEvY
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 3, 2025
According to sources that spoke to SNY’s Ian Begley, the Knicks still owe Thibodeau $30 million on the three-year contract extension he signed last off-season.
After being hired by the Knicks in 2020, Thibodeau helped lead the team to four playoff appearances in five seasons. He also led the team to its first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 25 years.
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Justified or dumb?
One part of me thinks this is a terrible decision. Tom Thibodeau has established a winning culture in New York, which had been a notoriously terrible basketball town for years prior to his arrival. Just think about it like this: the Knicks won four playoff series during Thibodeau’s tenure and just one from 2001 to 2020. So you reward the coach who helped you return to winning ways by firing him? That is bullsh*t.
At the same time, I kind of get why the Knicks elected to go this route. I think reaching the Eastern Conference Finals was the ceiling for a Tom Thibodeau-coached New York Knicks squad. On top of that, his playoff coaching decisions kind of justify his firing.
I am a Tom Thibodeau fan. He brought this team back. I felt he gave every bit of himself and was always looking to improve. I will always be grateful for how far he brought the Knicks. They are relevant again. They are championship contenders again. The Knicks became winners…
— Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) June 3, 2025
In Games One and Two of the Eastern Conference Finals, Thibodeau basically had a seven-man rotation when you realize that Cameron Payne only played 19 minutes compared to every other player who played at least 21 minutes per game. Though he adjusted his rotation and gave more playing time to guys like Landry Shamet, Miles McBride, and Delon Wright, the Knicks were already facing a 0-2 deficit because of Thibs’ inability to utilize his whole roster.
This is not a new problem for the Knicks. New York’s starting five played the most minutes of any starting five in the NBA (14,674 minutes). In fact, their starters played 602 more minutes than the next closest team. The Knicks’ inability to stretch the bench was a reflection of Tom Thibodeau’s coaching style, which is likely one of the main reasons why he finds himself without a job today.
Who will be the next head coach for the Knicks?
Unlike the Phoenix Suns, I don’t believe New York will pursue an unproven person to be their next head coach. This is a team that is ready to compete (and possibly win) a championship right now. They don’t have time to let a young, inexperienced coach cut their teeth with this roster, which has championship potential.
If the Knicks want to continue their pursuit of a championship, then I imagine the next head coach will be a person who has won an NBA Championship. That means that the Knicks will likely go after guys like Michael Malone, Mike Budenholzer, and Frank Vogel.
Thank you, Coach Thibodeau. pic.twitter.com/bInhvWtxPI
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) June 3, 2025
Mike Budenholzer was fired by Phoenix because he reportedly couldn’t “coexist” with the franchise’s star players, so I worry about his viability with the Knicks. Meanwhile, Frank Vogel didn’t land a head coaching job last off-season, and if he were any good, he probably would’ve been hired in 2024 rather than forced to take a consulting job with the Mavericks.
I think that Michael Malone is the top candidate for this position. He is only two years removed from an NBA Championship, and the reason why he was let go by the Nuggets remains unclear. If there are no skeletons in his closet, then he is the sensible choice to be the next leader of the Knicks.
