UPDATE: Charania also reported that the Knicks requested permission to speak to Hawks head coach Quin Snyder about their vacancy and were rejected, while Chicago Sports Network's K.C. Johnson reports that New York reached out to the Bulls about speaking with Billy Donovan, and were denied as well.
The rejections are reportedly piling up for the Knicks in their search for a new head coach.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, New York requested permission to speak with Houston’s Ime Udoka and Minnesota’s Chris Finch about their head coaching vacancy, but were denied by both teams. Charania also added that the Knicks were given a "firm rejection" when asking permission to speak with Dallas’ Jason Kidd, but the expectation is that the Mavericks will turn them down as well.
There was reportedly mutual interest between Kidd and the Knicks, but with Kidd under contract, the Mavs shut that down.
As the rejections come in, the options shrink for the Knicks, who are searching for Tom Thibodeau’s replacement after Thibodeau helped turn the franchise around and reach the conference finals for the first time in 25 years.
As coaches under contract become lost causes, the Knicks could have to pivot to the likes of Johnnie Bryant, a former assistant under Thibodeau who helped the Cavs to the No. 1 seed in the East this season, or Michael Malone, who was fired by the Nuggets shortly before the end of the regular season.
Former Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins, another late-season firing victim, could also be an option for the Knicks, who seem to be striking out on all of their top choices.