Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, who was hired in 2020, wanted Rick Brunson on his staff from the beginning, one source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post. However, some members of upper management had concerns about the circumstances of Brunson’s departure from Minnesota, Berman’s source said. The former Timberwolves assistant resigned after being accused of improper conduct toward women, though he and his lawyer denied any wrongdoing.
Although Brunson is now set to join Thibodeau’s staff in New York, it doesn’t sound like he intends to put the full-court press on his son Jalen Brunson, an unrestricted free agent this summer, to join him. According to Berman, Rick recently told a confidant that he just wants his son to sign the best deal he can, one representative of his market value.
Marc Stein reported today on Substack that there’s “no grave concern bubbling” in Dallas about the Knicks’ hiring of Rick Brunson, and Berman essentially says the same thing in his story. According to Berman, a source who recently spoke to Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he’d be “shocked” if Dallas doesn’t re-sign Jalen Brunson.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- The Knicks have been busy conducting pre-draft workouts this week. According to Berman (Twitter links), Tyson Etienne (Wichita State), Orlando Robinson (Fresno State), and Jordan Goldwire (Oklahoma) were among the prospects at the team’s facility on Wednesday, while Jimmy Boeheim (Syracuse) and Andrew Jones (Texas) were among those who auditioned for the team on Thursday.
- Rutgers forward Ron Harper Jr., the No. 57 prospect on ESPN’s big board, will work out for the Knicks on Saturday, tweets Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com.
- Several people in touch with the Knicks last month believe the team has interest trading up from No. 11 in the draft, writes Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
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