Knicks' 2026 NBA Finals Odds After Reportedly Hiring Mike Brown as Next Head Coach

The New York Knicks remain one of the favorites to win the NBA Finals after hiring Mike Brown as their next head coach.

The Knicks are +850 to win the title with Mike Brown as their head coach. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The final head coaching vacancy in the NBA reportedly has been filled.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, two-time NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown is expected to agree to a deal with the New York Knicks to become their next head coach. Brown, who was last with the Sacramento Kings for part of the 2024-25 season, won the Coach of the Year award in the 2022-23 season, leading the Kings to the No. 3 seed in the West.

BREAKING: The New York Knicks are expected to land on two-time NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown as the franchise's next head coach, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/LOXb74LFe4

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2025

New York moved on from head coach Tom Thibodeau -- despite an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in the 2024-25 season -- after losing to the Indiana Pacers in six games. Thibodeau led the Knicks to four playoff appearances in five seasons and back-to-back 50-win seasons.

Despite that, the Knicks opted to go in a different direction, and they've settled on Brown after an extensive coaching search that saw them attempt to lure several coaches who were under contract away from their current teams.

New York is tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers at +850 to win the NBA Finals next season in the latest odds at DraftKings Sportsbook. That's good for the third-best odds in the NBA and tied for the best in the Eastern Conference.

Brown has a plethora of coaching experience with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Kings as a head coach. He was also an assistant with the Golden State Warriors from the 2016-17 season through the 2021-22 campaign, winning multiple titles with the franchise.

As a head coach, Brown has made the NBA Finals once -- the 2006-07 season in Cleveland.

The Knicks are pretty locked into the core of their roster around Jalen Brunson, and they've made interesting free agent moves to bolster their depth with Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele.

Hopefully for Knicks fans, Brown will be able to take this team to another level in the 2025-26 season.

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