Jay Wright, the former Villanova men’s basketball head coach, has taken himself out of the running for the New York Knicks‘ head coaching job. he informed the Knicks that he is not interested in succeeding Tom Thibodeau and will remain retired, he told Sports Illustrated.

wright stated that he and Knicks president leon Rose had a brief discussion about the position. Despite their friendship, Wright reiterated his plans to stay retired and did not seek an interview for the job.

In addition, the Knicks’ plan to request an interview with Dallas mavericks head coach Jason Kidd may be thwarted. According to longtime NBA insider Marc Stein, the Mavericks are expected to deny any request from the Knicks to interview Kidd, who played his final season with the Knicks in 2012-13.

Wright was instantly considered a leading candidate after Thibodeau’s departure.he previously coached three of the Knicks’ key players in college, securing multiple national championships with guard Jalen Brunson and forward Mikal Bridges. He also won a national title with wing Josh Hart.

However, some insiders considered the Knicks’ chances of landing the two-time national champion coach to be slim.

“Jay Wright is enjoying red wine, basketball, television and his family,” said John Fanta. “If he wanted to coach again, he’d be the Villanova coach.”

“jay Wright is not going anywhere.”

wright, 63, retired from Villanova after leading the Wildcats to the Final Four in 2022. During his tenure, he made four Final Four appearances, won eight Big East regular-season titles, five Big East Tournament titles, and two national championships.

Wright is among several coaches with Big East connections who have expressed disinterest in the Knicks’ head coach position. Rick Pitino, coach of St. John’s and former Knicks coach, stated he was “absolutely not” interested in returning. UConn’s Dan Hurley also avoided directly answering questions about his interest in the job.

Besides Wright, Kidd, Pitino, and Hurley, Ime Udoka of the Houston Rockets is also unlikely to be a candidate.After securing the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, the rockets are not inclined to allow the Knicks to negotiate a deal for Udoka, according to The Athletic.

As for Kidd, the Mavericks are expected to reject any request from the Knicks to interview him, according to marc Stein.

Other potential candidates for the Knicks’ head coach job include former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone and current Cleveland cavaliers associate head coach Johnnie bryant.DraftKings Sportsbook lists Bryant as the current betting favorite, with Malone having the second-best odds.

Bryant, who previously served as the Knicks’ associate head coach from 2020-24, was a finalist for the Phoenix Suns’ head coach position, which was filled by Jordan Ott. Malone was recently fired by the Nuggets.

Coaching Vacancy Concerns

The Knicks’ search for a head coach has hit multiple snags as potential candidates withdraw or are blocked from interviewing.

“Jay Wright is enjoying red wine, basketball, television and his family,”

Potential Candidates

With several high-profile coaches declining interest or being unavailable, the Knicks are now focusing on other options like Johnnie Bryant and Michael Malone.