Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks have had a monster offseason so far in 2024, attempting to cement themselves as the biggest challenger to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference. Brunson recently took a major pay cut to help the Knicks make other moves, which so far have included resigning OG Anunoby and trading for Mikal Bridges to help bolster their team.

Another key part of the Knicks' success over the past few years has been head coach Tom Thibodeau, who joined the team in 2020 and has led them to the playoffs in three out of his four years with the franchise.

Now, it appears that Thibs could be the next member of the Knicks in line for a raise.

“There was a strong expectation in the desert that a contract extension for Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau will be announced in the near future,” reported NBA insider Marc Stein on his Substack. “The Knicks have already had a mammoth summer headlined by a blockbuster trade for Brooklyn's Mikal Bridges and contract extensions for All-Star guard Jalen Brunson and swingman OG Anunoby. Thibodeau would be entering the final season of his original five-year contract without an extension but has been regarded for weeks as a lock to receive a new deal that pays at least $10 million annually after leading the injury-ravaged Knicks to just their second 50-win season of the 21st century.”

What is the Knicks' ceiling?

New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau walks off the court after losing to the Indiana Pacers in game seven of the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

On paper, the Knicks certainly have the pieces to at least compete with the Celtics, following their formula of compiling as many two-way wings as possible to make their defense mega-switchable and their offense very difficult to contain.

The only true weak spot on the New York roster at the present moment is in the front court, as the team is a Mitchell Robinson injury away (unfortunately a relatively frequent occurrence throughout his career) from having no viable options to place around the basket after the departure of Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency.

However, outside of that shortcoming, New York is filled with lengthy, athletic players who should alleviate some of the pressure off of Brunson and give Thibodeau arguably the most stacked roster he's ever had to work with, even if it also happens to occur at a time when there is more competition in the league perhaps than ever before.

In any case, the NBA schedule is set to be announced in August.