NBA Execs Predict Tom Thibodeau's Next Knicks Contract
Tom Thibodeau has guided the New York Knicks to some respectable numbers over the past four seasons. Such numbers are about to his bank account, a reward for helping the star-crossed franchise return to the relevant portions of the NBA standings.
Thibodeau is due for a contract extension following the Knicks' most successful season in over a decade, one that's set to make him one of the highest-paid in the Association. Several front office reps polled by Fred Katz of The Athletic began to offer a clearer picture of what Thibodeau's next checks could look like, each of them agreeing that the 66-year-old is destined to join the ranks of the eight-figure bosses.
NBA head coaches have enjoyed significant raises over the new cycle thanks in part to Monty Williams' deal bestowed last summer, as he recently wrapped the first part of a six-year, $78.5 million contract with the Detroit Pistons.
Katz's respondents ranged Thibodeau's next salary between $10 million and $13.3 million, crediting him for "building a culture" within the previously meandering Knicks franchise. Last season was perhaps Thibodeau's magnum opus: despite losing several major contributors to lengthy medical absences, his Knicks still won 50 games and the second seed on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket.
Continued injuries eventually played a role in the Knicks' eventual exit but the Knicks undoubtedly feature one of the more optimistic landscapes in the NBA. Thibodeau's continued prescience is routinely cited as a feature of that outlook.
Barring disaster, Thibodeau will become the first Knicks boss to reach his fifth year since Jeff Van Gundy did so in 2000-01. He is currently the fifth-winningest coach in Knicks history at 175 regular season triumphs and his New Yorkers are one of only three teams to win at least one playoff series in each of the last two tournaments (joined by Boston and Denver).
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI
Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks