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Knicks Notes: Yabusele, Brown, Triano, Kolek

July 13th, 2025 at 12:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

In an interview with Arthur Puybertier of BeBasket, a French basketball outlet, Guerschon Yabusele reveals that he strongly considered the Nuggets in free agency before deciding the allure of playing in New York was too strong to pass up. After returning to the NBA with an impressive season in Philadelphia, Yabusele accepted a two-year contract with the Knicks.

“It was super fast! As soon as I received (the offer from New York), I had to give an answer within two hours,” Yabusele said. “On the other side, we also had the one in Denver. You had to be quick not to miss the opportunity that New York represents, in a great living environment!”

Along with the lifestyle that comes with playing in the nation’s largest city, Yabusele is thrilled to be joining a title contender. Coming off a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks have bolstered their roster with the addition of Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson while several other top Eastern teams are dealing with injuries to star players.

“When you look at New York, you can already see that the franchise has risen a lot in recent years,” Yabusele added. “They are conference finalists; the collective project is visible and very interesting for me. They are a very good team that plays very well together and is playing for the title! Having this goal was something important for me, I want to play for something. Apart from that, New York is a historic team. Playing at Madison Square Garden is the dream of every NBA player, including mine! It’s a special place, I’m very happy to be there!”

There’s more on the Knicks:

New head coach Mike Brown is emphasizing quick decisions on offense, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. That philosophy was on display in Friday’s Summer League opener as players were instructed to drive, shoot or pass within half a second of getting the ball. “It doesn’t just mean playing up and down, like we have to get out in transition,” Summer League coach Jordan Brink said. “The fast part is all of the stuff in our actions. If we get the ball up the floor quick and don’t have anything, we’re to the next action. Fast is really decision-making, playing with a ‘.5’ mentality.”
The Mavericks denied the Knicks’ request to interview Jay Triano in their search for an associate head coach, sources tell Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Triano served as Brown’s top assistant and offensive coordinator in Sacramento, but he just joined the coaching staff in Dallas last month and the Mavs didn’t want to lose him so quickly, Bondy adds. Dallas also turned down New York’s request to interview head coach Jason Kidd before Brown was hired.
After appearing in 41 games as a rookie, point guard Tyler Kolek is enjoying a fresh start with a new coaching staff, per Steve Popper of Newsday. “I think every season is a new opportunity,” he said. “Every year is a fresh start, new guys come in. We signed some free agents, so every year there’s fresh opportunity. And it starts right here, proving myself here, proving myself in August workouts, prove myself in camp, and then throughout the season. Just keep on proving myself until you get to where you have to be and then you have to do it all over again. It never really stops.”

Stein/Fischer’s Latest: Warriors, Horford, Melton, CP3, Beal, Knicks

July 12th, 2025 at 2:01pm CST by Luke Adams

While the Warriors are one of the only teams in the NBA that have yet to reach a contract agreement with a free agent this offseason, they’re viewed by numerous rival clubs as the “overwhelming favorite” to land Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

Golden State already has over $170MM in guaranteed money on its books for nine players, so the outcome of Jonathan Kuminga‘s free agency will likely dictate what sort of offers the club can make to Horford and Melton.

Signing either of those veteran free agents with the $5.7MM taxpayer mid-level exception likely won’t happen until there’s a resolution on Kuminga, since using that exception would hard-cap the Warriors at the $207.8MM second apron. That could open the door for a rival team to find a way to give Kuminga an offer sheet featuring a starting salary too high for Golden State to match without cost-cutting moves.

Here’s more from Stein and Fischer:

Chris Paul would still like to play as close to his home in Los Angeles as possible, and the Clippers and Suns continue to weigh the possibility of signing him, per Stein and Fischer. However, if those clubs ultimately go in a different direction, it’s unclear what the 2025/26 season might hold for Paul. The Bucks have interest in the veteran point guard, but he has shown “little inclination” to entertain the idea of signing with an Eastern Conference team so far, according to The Stein Line duo. For what it’s worth, when Paul was asked recently how much longer he plans to play, he replied, “At the most, a year,” which suggests that retirement may not be entirely off the table.
Bradley Beal is owed a 25% advance payment on his 2025/26 salary on July 15, Stein and Fischer say. While the veteran guard would get that money (roughly $13MM) even if he and the Suns agree to a buyout before then, it’s possible he’ll wait until after he receives that payment an agreement that would see him exit Phoenix.
After missing out on James Borrego, the Knicks are also unlikely to land Bucks assistant Darvin Ham as they seek a lead assistant for Mike Brown‘s new staff, Stein and Fischer report. Stein noted last weekend that New York has interest in Ham, but Milwaukee appears unwilling to give the Knicks permission to speak to him for what would be a lateral move. Jay Triano, another Knicks target, is also off the table since he just signed a new contract with Dallas, Stein and Fischer add.
The Bucks are considered likely to bring back forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo if Giannis Antetokounmpo remains in Milwaukee, according to Stein and Fischer. Thanasis missed all of the 2024/25 season due to an Achilles tear, but said in May that he has been medically cleared to return to action.

Knicks Haven’t Requested Permission To Negotiate With Kidd

June 10th, 2025 at 7:27pm CST by Dana Gauruder

All signs are pointing toward Jason Kidd remaining the head coach of the Mavericks.

According to Christian Clark and Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Mavericks continue to privately insist to what they described as “key stakeholders” that Kidd won’t be going anywhere. Speculation has run rampant since it was reported on Monday by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst that there was “mutual intrigue” between Kidd and the Knicks, who recently fired Tom Thibodeau.

Citing a team source, The Athletic duo reports the Knicks had yet to request permission to speak with Kidd as of Tuesday afternoon. Similarly, Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News heard the same thing from a “person with knowledge of the situation.”

Curtis added that two people within the Mavericks organization told him they’re skeptical the Knicks will even make the request. Curtis notes that the Knicks would need to compensate the Mavs in order to hire Kidd, who signed a contract extension last offseason. That would likely require draft capital that the Knicks — who traded numerous picks to acquire Mikal Bridges — lack, as well as possible cash considerations.

If the Knicks do ask permission to talk to Kidd, it’s expected the Mavericks will decline, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post.

The Athletic indicates that there’s a widely held belief is that Kidd is hoping to parlay the Knicks’ interest into another lucrative contract extension with the Mavs. His current deal covers the next two seasons. If that extension isn’t offered, it’s possible that Kidd might want to head to New York.

However, Jay Triano agreed to terms on an assistant coaching job with the Mavericks on Tuesday after assurances from Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison that Kidd would remain the head coach. The Stein Line reported over the weekend that the Mavs and Triano, the former head coach of the Suns and Raptors, were finalizing an agreement. Triano spent the last three seasons as a Kings assistant.

Fischer’s Latest: Raptors, Maluach, Barrett, Suns, Triano

June 7th, 2025 at 8:34am CST by Rory Maher

The Raptors are among the teams who “highly value” Duke center Khaman Maluach ahead of this month’s NBA Draft, sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). However, it remains to be seen if the 7’2″ big man will be available at No. 9, which is the lottery pick Toronto currently controls.

If Maluach — who is ranked No. 6 on ESPN’s big board — is unavailable, rival teams have gotten the impression the Raptors might target a different center, Fischer writes. For what it’s worth, Derik Queen (No. 13), Joan Beringer (No. 15) and Thomas Sorber (No. 18) are the next three centers on ESPN’s board.

Here are a few more items of interest from Fischer’s latest rumor round-up:

As we relayed on Friday evening, Fischer pointed to Raptors wing RJ Barrett as a potential salary-matching piece if Toronto decides to make a play for Kevin Durant. Citing sources, Fischer also confirms a report from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype stating that Barrett’s name came up in the Brandon Ingram trade talks between the Pelicans and Raptors. Toronto ultimately acquired Ingram in February by sending New Orleans Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, one first-round pick and one second-rounder.
New head coach Jordan Ott intends to meet with the Suns‘ current assistants in the coming days, according to Fischer, who says there was a “strong belief” during the search process that Phoenix would ask associate head coach David Fizdale to remain on staff under the new hire. However, it’s unclear if Fizdale will be amenable to that arrangement after receiving multiple interviews for the head coaching job. Cavaliers assistant DeMarre Carroll — who has worked with Ott on three different teams — and Mavericks assistant Jared Dudley are also viewed as candidates to join Ott’s staff, Fischer writes.
Following up on a report from his Stein Line colleague Marc Stein, Fischer hears former Suns and Raptors head coach Jay Triano is finalizing a contract to join the Mavericks as an assistant under Jason Kidd. The Knicks are interested in speaking to Kidd for their coaching vacancy, though Dallas would have to grant New York permission for that to happen.

Knicks Expected To Request Permission To Talk To Mavs’ Kidd

June 6th, 2025 at 11:14am CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks, who have a newly created head coaching vacancy after parting ways with Tom Thibodeau earlier this week, are expected to ask the Mavericks for permission to speak to Dallas head coach Jason Kidd, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).

Stein, who identified Kidd on Wednesday as a potential target for the Knicks, says sources have described New York’s interest in the Mavs coach as “serious,” adding that some people in coaching circles believe he’s the Knicks’ top target to replace Thibodeau.

The Knicks were also said to be interested in Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, but multiple reporters – including Stein – have stated that Houston has no interest in granting New York permission to speak to Udoka. Stein hasn’t been able to confirm if the Mavs would take a similar position with Kidd.

Kidd was initially hired by former Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in 2021, a little before Nico Harrison came aboard as the team’s head of basketball operations. Given that Cuban is no longer running the show in Dallas and Harrison didn’t hire Kidd himself, it’s possible the Mavs wouldn’t be as attached to him as the Rockets are to Udoka.

Kidd signed a contract extension with the Mavericks in May of 2024. According to Stein, that deal tacked on two years to Kidd’s previous contract, which would’ve expired at the end of 2024/25.

In the past, there have been instances where a team gave up draft compensation in order to hire a head coach away from another franchise — in fact, as Stein notes, that has happened before with Kidd, as the Bucks sent a pair of second-rounders to hire him away from the Nets in 2014. It remains to be seen whether the Knicks would be willing to take a similar route to hire Kidd.

Although Kidd has spoken about how he wasn’t involved in the unpopular decision to trade Luka Doncic in February, he’s believed to still be happy in Dallas and is excited about the opportunity to coach Cooper Flagg, according to Stein. Kidd also has strong relationships with current Mavs stars Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis.

Even if Kidd ends up staying put, the Mavs’ coaching staff seems likely to undergo some changes this offseason. Assistants Sean Sweeney and Jared Dudley both received consideration in Phoenix’s coaching search, according to Stein, who reports that the Spurs have expressed interest in trying to hire Sweeney as an assistant, while the Grizzlies recently spoke to Dudley about a role on their staff. Both San Antonio (Mitch Johnson) and Memphis (Tuomas Iisalo) have first-time head coaches who were promoted during the 2024/25 season and will be entering their first full seasons as head coaches in ’25/26.

The Mavs already lost one key assistant – Alex Jensen – earlier this year, when he agreed to become the new head coach at the University of Utah. Stein hears that Dallas has targeted former NBA head coach Jay Triano to replace Jensen, though Triano is believed to be receiving interest from other NBA teams as well.

Pacific Notes: Triano, Kings, Christie, Clippers, Redick

May 3rd, 2025 at 3:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Jay Triano, who had been the Kings‘ lead assistant this season, won’t be returning to Doug Christie‘s staff for 2025/26, sources tell Anthony Slater and Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Triano, who has been a Kings assistant since 2022, previously served as a head coach in Toronto (2008-11) and Phoenix (2017-18) and had stints as an assistant with the Raptors (2002-08), Trail Blazers (2012-16), Suns (2016-17), and Hornets (2018-22) before arriving in Sacramento. He was promoted to associate head coach in 2024 following the departure of Jordi Fernandez and still had time left on his contract after this season, reports Amick.

As Slater and Amick note (via Twitter), Triano’s exit comes as part of an overhaul of Christie’s coaching staff, with Jawad Williams, Riccardo Fois, Robbie Lemons, and Sam Logwood also on the way out.

One assistant coach who will remain under Christie is Leandro Barbosa, Slater adds. A former NBA guard, Barbosa has been with the Kings since 2022 after previously serving as a player development coach in Golden State.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Reintroducing Christie as the Kings‘ permanent head coach during a media session on Friday, new general manager Scott Perry said he was impressed from afar this season by the way Christie handled his “baptism by fire” and connected with his players after replacing Mike Brown in December, per Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee. “Look, I’m a former coach, and I’m the first to tell him or anybody else, it’s not an easy job,” Perry said. “It’s the most second-guessed job in the world probably, but he is made of the type of internal fortitude necessary to navigate those waters.”
Hampered for years by untimely injuries to key players, the Clippers have shown in the first-round series vs. Denver that they’re a formidable opponent when their stars – in this case, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden – are healthy, writes Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. While Leonard has been the team’s top offensive postseason weapon, scoring at least 20 points in each of the first six games of the series, the Clippers may need Harden to come up as big as he did in Game 6 (28 points, eight assists) to win on Saturday and advance to round two, says Law Murray of The Athletic.
With J.J. Redick‘s inaugural season as a head coach in the books, Jovan Buha of The Athletic evaluates the job the first-time coach did for the Lakers and notes that Redick is bullish about his potential to continue improving. “I know I will get better,” he said this week. “I don’t necessarily take any satisfaction from how the year went. That’s not to say I’m not proud of what the group was able to do, and how we were able to figure out things on the fly and put ourselves in a position to have home court in the first round. But there’s always ways to get better. And I can get a lot better.”

Kings Promote Jay Triano To Associate Head Coach

September 9th, 2024 at 2:37pm CST by Luke Adams

After working out a contract extension with head coach Mike Brown earlier this offseason, the Kings announced some additional coaching news on Monday, revealing in a press release that Jay Triano has been promoted to associate head coach.

Triano, who has been on Brown’s staff as an assistant since 2022, has built an impressive coaching résumé over the last two-plus decades. He served as a head coach in Toronto (2008-11) and Phoenix (2017-18) and had stints as an assistant with the Raptors (2002-08), Trail Blazers (2012-16), Suns (2016-17), and Hornets (2018-22) before arriving in Sacramento.

Triano will take the position previously occupied by Jordi Fernandez, who left the Kings this spring to take the head coaching job in Brooklyn.

The Kings announced a few more changes to their coaching staff in Monday’s release, confirming that former Trail Blazers G League coach Jim Moran and Arizona Wildcats assistant Riccardo Fois have been hired as assistants under Brown. The additions of Moran and Fois were both previously reported.

Sacramento also announced the following promotions:

Jawad Williams has been named assistant coach and director of player development.
Charles Allen has been named player development coach.
Dipesh Mistry has been named head video coordinator and player development coach.
Shandon Goldman has been named video assistant.

Kings Notes: Monk, DeRozan, Triano, Markkanen

July 7th, 2024 at 5:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Malik Monk might have found a better offer on the open market but he was content to stay with the Kings on a four-year, $78MM contract. Monk choose comfort over a few more dollar signs.

“It just felt right. Everything felt right,” Monk told Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee and other media members. “I don’t go anywhere and feel uncomfortable. I go everywhere and feel comfortable, and that’s a home, I feel like, so I’m back.”

Monk might have received close to $25MM per year and a starting role with some teams. Instead, he’ll likely resume his role as sixth man on the Kings. Monk informed the team 10 days before free agency began that he was staying put.

“Being a team player,” Monk said. “I could have took my money somewhere, but it felt like home here. Letting the organization know early was the least I could do, for sure, because we need a few more pieces and they’re looking for a few more pieces, so I think they’re doing their job.”

We have more on the Kings:

The Athletic’s John Hollinger is conflicted over the Kings’ decision to pursue a sign-and-trade for DeMar DeRozan. The addition of DeRozan probably doesn’t vault them into the top five in the Western Conference, even during the regular season, Hollinger opines. However, they’re too good to tank, so there’s nothing wrong with upgrading the team methodically for a future run at the title.
The team’s recruitment of DeRozan included having Jay Triano, the Kings’ lead assistant coach and DeRozan’s first NBA head coach, at the airport, according to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. De’Aaron Fox also played a key role in DeRozan’s recruitment. DeRozan agreed to a three-year, $74MM deal with the third season partially guaranteed.
In the same story, Slater notes that the Kings made a strong pitch early last week to acquire the Jazz’sLauri Markkanen in a trade. However, they were unwilling to give up Keegan Murray in a proposed deal. Instead, they made a substantial picks-based offer. They put a deadline on pursuing a trade with Utah and the Jazz didn’t meet it. There’s growing skepticism league-wide that Jazz executive Danny Ainge will actually move Markkanen, Slater adds.

Pacific Notes: Wainright, Ross, Warriors, Sabonis, Vezenkov

February 17th, 2023 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Suns forward Ish Wainright was active for a 50th game on Thursday and has now maxed out the games-played limit on his two-way contract, confirms Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Wainright can remain on his two-way deal for the rest of the season, but he’ll be ineligible to be activated for another regular season or playoff game unless he’s promoted to the 15-man roster.

As Rankin notes, the Suns do have an open spot on their 15-man squad, so promoting Wainright is one option the club should seriously consider. But Phoenix could also decide to use that final roster spot on a veteran on the buyout market — the team was linked on Thursday to Kevin Love, for instance. If the Suns sign a vet like Love, that wouldn’t leave room for Wainright unless another player is waived.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

The Suns have already added one veteran who reached free agency after negotiating a buyout. Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports takes a closer look at that newest Sun, exploring what Terrence Ross can bring to the team.
Tim Kawakami of The Athletic examines where things stand for the Warriors entering the All-Star break and considers whether this season represents a last stand for Golden State’s dynasty. As Kawakami writes, last week’s trade of James Wiseman for a win-now role player (Gary Payton II) signals that the team’s much-discussed “two-timeline plan” has essentially fallen by the wayside.
In a Q&A with Sam Amick of The Athletic, veteran center Domantas Sabonis spoke about the Kings‘ resurgence, playing through a thumb fracture, and why this year’s All-Star nod means more to him than his previous two. “A lot of stuff was said when the trade happened,” Sabonis said. “(Kings executives) Monty (McNair) and Wes (Wilcox) trusted me to come here and start changing the franchise around. And it’s not just me — there’s obviously a lot of pieces. … But I was kind of that first piece, and there was a lot of responsibility. As a player, as a competitor, being named an All-Star on the West Coast, having been on the East Coast, I feel like it just means more because of everything that came with it, you know?”
Kings assistant coach Jay Triano headed to Europe this week to scout draft-and-stash prospect Sasha Vezenkov, according to Stavros Barbarousis and John Rammas of Eurohoops. Sacramento holds the NBA rights to Vezenkov, who is having a terrific season in Greece for Olympiacos.

Kings Officially Announce Mike Brown’s Coaching Staff

August 12th, 2022 at 12:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have finalized their coaching staff for Mike Brown‘s first season in Sacramento, according to a press release from the team.

As previously reported, former Nuggets assistant Jordi Fernandez is joining the Kings as associate head coach after working with Brown on the Nigerian national team. Jay Triano, Doug Christie, Luke Loucks, and Leandro Barbosa will also be assistant coaches on Brown’s staff, as anticipated.

Dutch Gaitley and Lindsey Harding will be assistants as well, with Gaitley serving as director of player development. Harding and Deividas Dulkys, whose hiring was previously reported, will be player development coaches.

Robbie Lemons (senior director of coaching analytics and strategy), Charles Allen (head video coordinator/special assistant to the head coach), and Garrius Adams (assistant video coordinator) will fill out the staff, which Brown referred to as a “diverse and talented group.”

Roy Rana, Mike Longabardi, and Rico Hines are among the veteran assistants on former head coach Alvin Gentry‘s staff who won’t be returning to Sacramento for the 2022/23 season. Longabardi joined the Hawks, Hines joined the Raptors, and Rana got a job coaching a team in Japan.