Knicks coaching search: Mavericks deny New York permission to interview Jason Kidd, per report

The Knicks are back to the drawing board after being denied permission to speak to three coaches in less than day

The New York Knicks were denied permission to interview Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, according to ESPN's Shams Charania, putting to rest a week-long rumor mill of apparent interest between Kidd and the Knicks -- and the Mavericks waffling about whether they'd let him interview for the vacancy. 

With the rejection from the Mavericks, the Knicks have now been denied coach interviews by three teams; the Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves said no to the possibility of New York interviewing Ime Udoka and Chris Finch, respectively. 

The saga with the Mavericks was particularly interesting, though. When reports initially surfaced that the Knicks were interested in Kidd, Dallas didn't immediately shut down his availability. That raised at least some questions about Kidd's future in Dallas.

But now we know the Mavericks have no interest in letting their coach interview for another job, which makes sense considering his strong relationships with Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, as well as general manager Nico Harrison (Kidd said their relationship was "at a high" recently while appearing on the DLLS Mavs podcast).

With this weird series of events behind them, the Mavericks can now turn focus to the NBA Draft, where they hold the No. 1 pick and are expected to take consensus top talent Cooper Flagg. The Mavericks are expected to have a meeting with Flagg in Dallas next week. 

New York Knicks coaching search: Where things stand with Jason Kidd, other candidates out of the running

Sam Quinn

For the Knicks, it's back to the drawing board to fill the vacancy created by Tom Thibodeau's ouster despite leading the team to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time in 25 years. The Knicks are said to want a coach with experience, and while that may rule out assistants like Johnnie Bryant of the Cabaliers, that doesn't mean New York won't explore that option. We could also see this process take some time. The Knicks are expected to do an exhaustive search for their next coach, which is understandable given the immediate expectations that will come with the job.

The Knicks were two wins away from the NBA Finals, so any replacement will have the heavy expectations of trying to win a championship on them. The Knicks spent practically every asset to build this roster, so they're working with a championship window that's open right now. And in an Eastern Conference that will look a little different next season after Jayson Tatum ruptured his right Achilles tendon, the Knicks will have a great shot at not just finishing atop the East, but with a viable path to get to the NBA Finals.