Knicks' Next Head Coach Odds: Jason Kidd Favored, Mavs Expected to Deny Interview Request

Breaking down the odds for the New York Knicks' next head coach, with Jason Kidd set as the favorite.

Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd is the favorite to be named the Knicks' next head coach. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks are in the hunt for a new coach this offseason, and a ton of names have been floated as potential candidates.

After New York fired Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday, Michael Malone, Jay Wright, Johnnie Bryant and others immediately were considered favorites in the odds to land the gig.

However, Wright, Dan Hurley and others have been ruled out for consideration for the job, and instead reporting has come across the NBA about the Knicks' interest in three coaches that are currently under contract with teams: Dallas' Jason Kidd, Houston's Ime Udoka and Minnesota's Chris Finch.

Kidd has been floated the most as a potential option, and oddsmakers at DraftKings actually made him a -180 favorite to earn the Knicks' head coaching gig in the 2025-26 season.

Jason Kidd to the Knicks? 👀

The -180 favorite to take over in New York…and possibly reunite with Jalen Brunson. pic.twitter.com/LZ2ITE0Pqb

— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) June 7, 2025

Despite that, and reporting from NBA insiders like Marc Stein, Tim MacMahon and Zach Lowe to keep an eye on Kidd to the Knicks, there was a recent report from Stein that certainly puts a damper on those chances.

According to Stein, some "well-placed observers" have said that the Mavericks will turn down any Knicks request to interview Kidd. In addition to that, the Rockets would do the same if the Knicks came calling about Udoka.

This puts New York in a tough spot, especially since Thibodeau led the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2024-25 season and had made the playoffs four times in five seasons.

Can the Knicks truly find an upgrade for their head coaching position if they can't even interview their top choices?

Last week, I shared that Bryant -- a former lead assistant on Thibodeau's staff before he joined the Cleveland Cavaliers -- is worth a look in this market. Bryant did not land the Phoenix Suns' coaching job, but he does have a lot of connections in New York.

Kidd made a lot of sense as a candidate due to his connection with Jalen Brunson from their time in Dallas. However, it appears that it is unlikely that Kidd ends up in New York -- despite the odds -- unless Dallas grants an interview request.

The Knicks are coming off back-to-back 50-win seasons and are hoping to win a title with their current core of Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and others.

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

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