Veteran assistant coach Pablo Prigioni has decided to remain with the Timberwolves amid interest from the Knicks, reports Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
According to Begley, Prigioni – who has been on the Wolves’ staff since 2019 – cited family reasons for his decision to stay in Minnesota. Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link) noted earlier this week that Prigioni is “highly thought of” within the Wolves’ organization and has been working closely with 2024 lottery pick Rob Dillingham.
A former NBA point guard who spent two-and-a-half seasons in New York as a player from 2012-15, Prigioni transitioned to coaching following his retirement in 2017. He spent one season on Brooklyn’s bench in 2018/19 before landing with the Wolves.
Prigioni, 48, was originally hired under Ryan Saunders, but carried over to Chris Finch‘s staff in 2021 and has now been with the Timberwolves for six seasons in total. The Knicks were recently granted permission to speak to Prigioni as they look to fill out their coaching staff under new head coach Mike Brown.
As the Knicks continue to consider their options on the coaching market, one candidate who is “squarely on their radar” is Clippers assistant Brendan O’Connor, according to Begley, who says O’Connor is known for his defensive acumen.
Even if the Knicks were to hire O’Connor away from L.A., they’d likely remain on the lookout for another assistant who could help with their offense, Begley adds.
The Knicks can’t even convince a former player to come back to coach LoL
Minny is a playoff team also. And a team on the rise like Knicks. If Knicks aren’t doubling his pay. I stay in Minny with my family too.
I don’t follow or care about assistant coaches. I trust the coach to do it and get it right. NY media will always look for a story to milk. After Thibs getting fired. They will be all over coaches hiring in NY. They should be more concerned about who is starting. And how Knicks will fix their D around Towns.