Around the NBA: Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau, Suns shopping Kevin Durant, and more

With the Philadelphia 76ers in their offseason and the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers set to tipoff tonight, let’s take a look at what is making news around the rest of the league. It’s been an eventful week!

Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau after Eastern Conference Finals exit

The NBA coaching business is a brutal one.

The New York Knicks made headlines early this week with news that the franchise would be relieving Tom Thibodeau of his duties as head coach after five seasons, as was first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania on Tuesday.

New York was recently knocked out of the NBA playoffs in the Eastern Conference Finals, falling 4-2 in the series against the Indiana Pacers. It was the Knicks’ first conference final appearance since 2000. Thibodeau finishes his New York tenure with 24 postseason wins — 17 more than the team’s past 13 coaches combined.

The Knicks released a statement from franchise president Leon Rose after the news broke, explaining the move.

The opening line reads: “Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship.”

Clearly, the front office seemed to believe they have the team to compete for a championship, just perhaps not the correct leadership to take them across the finish line, despite recent success.

Now, the search is on for someone new to take the helm for the Knicks. There are several former head coaches currently available such as Michael Malone (Denver Nuggets), Mike Budenholzer (Phoenix Suns), Taylor Jenkins (Memphis Grizzlies) and Frank Vogel (Suns), just to name a few, in addition to endless college coaches and professional assistants to investigate. It all just depends on how wide the Knicks want to cast the net.

Suns reportedly shopping Kevin Durant in trade talks, lower asking price

As the 2024-25 NBA season winds to a close, focus around the league (other than the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers) has shifted to the offseason. And with that, the trade talk rumor mill churns.

The Athletic’s Kelly Iko recently reported that “Phoenix is aggressive in pursuit of trading Kevin Durant”, according to team sources.

Durant is currently on an expiring contract and will be 37 years old to start the next NBA season. His most recent campaign was cut short when he suffered a sprained ankle during a game on March 30. He struggled to put weight on the leg as he was helped off the floor and did not return for the final seven games of the Suns’ season.

That’s not to say Durant is “cooked” or “washed”, though, by any means. Durant played 62 games for the Suns this season, scoring at least 30 points in 21 of those contests. He averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game shooting 53.7% from the floor and 43.0% from three-point range.

But, all things considered, the 15-time All-Star should come with a significantly lower price tag than he did back in 2023. In fact, it sounds like the ask may be coming down as we speak.

Iko’s report adds that sources also said that “Since the conclusion of the season, Houston has fielded several calls from Phoenix, who have since gradually lowered their asking price for Durant.”

Now, we don’t exactly know what the starting asking price was from the Suns, so it’s hard to guess what the updated price would be. What we can say is that it certainly sounds like Phoenix is trying to move the forward, if at all possible, and the Houston Rockets seem to be a frontrunning option for a landing spot, at least right now.

Report: ESPN could replace Doris Burke, Richard Jefferson next season

The trio of voices you’ll hear commentating the upcoming NBA Finals might sound a lot different next season.

With Game 1 approaching this Thursday, the three-person commentator team of Mike Breen, Doris Burke and Richard Jefferson is set to call the series for ESPN. The network, however, is reportedly considering changing things up after this NBA season, according to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand.

“While ESPN intends on re-signing Jefferson, it has not yet locked him up with his contract expiring, according to sources briefed on the talks. Amazon Prime Video has expressed some interest in Jefferson, according to the same sources,” the report says. “Meanwhile, Burke’s spot is not guaranteed for next season, according to sources familiar with ESPN’s preliminary plans. While Breen, the Basketball Hall of Famer under a long-term deal, is not going anywhere, ESPN will evaluate its entire roster.”

(Certainly sounds like Burke is most likely of the three to be on the chopping block.)

ESPN’s NBA team has been through a tumultuous few years, mostly of their own doing. Back in the summer of 2023, 16-year network veteran and lead NBA analyst Jeff Van Gundy as well as former player and coach Mark Jackson were both laid off by ESPN, chalked up to budget cuts. The duo had called 15 NBA championships alongside Breen, and the trio had become an expected part of the finals festivities. ESPN had other plans though, apparently.

Doc Rivers was then hired by the network and ultimately joined Breen and Burke on the lead NBA team… for a little while. Just months after joining the desk, Rivers would leave broadcasting to take the head coaching job with the Milwaukee Bucks. Rivers was replaced on the analysts desk by JJ Reddick, who also left the post after just a few months to become head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

The merry-go-round of partners has led to a commentary flow and fluidity that violently pales in comparison to that of Breen, Van Gundy and Jackson. It’s an awkward carousel, almost entirely of ESPN’s own making – and it’s time for another go-around!

Phoenix Suns tap Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott for new head coach

Another Phoenix Suns update!

The franchise is hiring Jordan Ott, Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach, as its next head coach. ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported the move Wednesday.

“A pair of Cavaliers assistants, Ott and Johnnie Bryant, emerged as finalists for Phoenix’s coaching job this week and met with Suns owner Mat Ishbia, CEO Josh Bartelstein and general manager Brian Gregory in Michigan on Tuesday,” Charania wrote. “Team officials focused in recent weeks on Ott and Bryant, who joined the Cavaliers last summer as Coach of the Year Kenny Atkinson’s first hires, and ownership and the front office aligned on the hiring of Ott on Wednesday.”

Ott also reportedly has an important endorsement amongst the team, from Suns’ cornerstone Devin Booker, who has been involved in the search process. Charania added that Ott was “[Booker’s] top choice as well”.

Ott has been an NBA assistant coach since 2012 and was with the Cavaliers for 2024-25. The Cavs led the Eastern Conference with a 64-18 regular season record before being ousted from the playoffs in the second round by the Indiana Pacers. Before that, he had served as an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets as well as a video coordinator for the Atlanta Hawks.

It is a tumultuous era for the Suns franchise, however, with Ott coming in as the fourth head coach in as many seasons for the team. The vacancy this time around came from the firing of Mike Budenholzer about a month and a half ago, the day after Phoenix’s 36-46 regular season ended. It was the team’s first time missing the playoffs and finishing under .500 since 2019-2020.

Now, focus shifts to the offseason that will determine what Suns roster Ott will have in front of him.

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