Associated Press
| Associated Press
New York – The New York Knicks have offered their coaching job to Mike Brown and are working to finalize a deal with the two-time NBA Coach of the Year, a person with knowledge of the details said Wednesday.
Brown would replace Tom Thibodeau, who was fired last month despite leading the Knicks to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years.
Brown had his second interview with the Knicks on Tuesday before the job was offered, the person told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the search were to remain private.
The plan to hire Brown was first reported by ESPN.
Brown earned his second award as the NBA’s top coach after leading Sacramento to the playoffs in 2022-23 – ending what was the league’s longest postseason drought with its first appearance since 2006 – but the Kings fired him nearly halfway through last season.
He would take over a Knicks team that believes it can contend for the NBA title and made it clear that was the only goal when it made the surprising decision to fire Thibodeau, who like Brown is a two-time winner of the NBA’s Coach of the Year award.
The Knicks quickly identified Brown as a candidate they wanted to speak with, while also discussing the job with former Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins and current assistants James Borrego of New Orleans and Micah Nori of Minnesota before offering the position to Brown.
Brown was honored with his first coaching award when he coached the Cleveland Cavaliers, the team he led to the NBA Finals in 2007 during his first stint with the organization. He also coached the Los Angeles Lakers and is 454-304 in his career.
Brown also won four championships as an assistant coach, three with the Golden State Warriors and one under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio.
His coaching staff will be discussed in the coming days, the person told AP.
Thibodeau led the Knicks to their only sustained success of the 2000s, with four playoff appearances in his five seasons. They reached at least the East semifinals each of the last three seasons and reached 50 wins in both of the last two.
Jaren Jackson Jr. has surgery
Memphis Grizzlies All-Star big man Jaren Jackson Jr. is recovering from surgery for a turf toe injury and will be re-evaluated in about 12 weeks.
The team announced Wednesday that Jackson’s surgery was complete, coming a day after saying the 25-year-old would need a procedure after hurting his right foot while participating in offseason basketball activities.
Memphis said Jackson is expected to recover fully.
The 6-foot-10 Jackson, a first-round draft pick in 2018 out of Michigan State, earned his second All-Star selection last season, when he averaged 22.2 points and 5.6 rebounds. He was honored as the NBA’s defensive player of the year for 2022-23, when he led the league in blocks at 3.0 per game.
Jackson is eligible for a contract extension this offseason as the Grizzlies seek to build around him and star point guard Ja Morant. Memphis was swept by eventual champion Oklahoma City in the first round of the playoffs in April.
Mavericks sign Flagg
The Dallas Mavericks have signed No. 1 overall draft pick Cooper Flagg to his four-year rookie contract.
The team didn’t disclose details in announcing the deal Wednesday. The total value of the contract for the top pick on the 2025-26 rookie wage scale is in the range of $62.7 million, with a first-year salary of about $13.8 million, according to Spotrac. Those numbers can fluctuate slightly.
There are team options in the third and fourth seasons of rookie deals.
Flagg said during his introductory news conference last week that he intends to play in the Summer League in Las Vegas later this month. The Mavericks’ Summer League opener against the Los Angeles Lakers and Bronny James is set to be nationally televised on July 10.
Flagg was taken with the top pick after Dallas converted just a 1.8% chance to win the draft lottery. The 18-year-old from Duke became the fourth freshman to win The Associated Press national player of the year honors in the 64-year history of the award. Flagg led the Blue Devils to the Final Four in his only season.
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