The New York Knicks are interested in adding Phil Handy to Mike Brown’s coaching staff, but he has also emerged as a candidate to join Jason Kidd in Dallas, NBA insider Marc Stein reports.
The Knicks have a strong connection with Brown, who gave Handy his first major break in the NBA when he hired him as a player development coach on his staff with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2011. In Los Angeles, Handy formed a strong bond with the late Kobe Bryant.
Handy followed Brown when he went to Cleveland in 2013. The Cavaliers retained him even after firing Brown in 2014. In Cleveland, Handy worked with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. He worked closely with Irving, forming a close relationship with the current Mavericks star.
After six seasons with the Cavaliers, Handy joined the Toronto Raptors in 2018, then re-joined the Lakers from 2019 to 2024. He went to six consecutive NBA Finals with the Cavaliers, Raptors and Lakers from 2015 to 2020. He won a championship with each of those teams — the 2016 Cavaliers, 2019 Raptors, and 2020 Lakers.
Lakers Star Credited Phil Handy’s Hand in His Rise
In his last stop with the Lakers, he worked closely with Austin Reaves, aiding the rapid development of the undrafted guard into the team’s third star behind James and Anthony Davis.
“We put a lot of work together before and after practice and sometimes at night,” Reaves told Heavy Sports in 2024. He’s the guy there that’s kind of been my main coach that I’ve really been working out with.”
But the Lakers did not retain Handy when JJ Redick took over from Darvin Ham, shifting the team’s player development program from individual to a wholistic approach and team context.
During his one-year hiatus from the NBA, Handy served as head coach in Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 women’s basketball league. Handy guided the Mist BC, led by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart, Rickea Jackson and Jewell Loyd to a 5-9 record, narrowly reaching the playoffs.
Knicks Focus on Player Development Amid Rising Payroll
Getty Tyler Kolek of the New York Knicks drives against Bronny James of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Knicks, though, have a strong competition in the Mavericks, where Handy has more connections from Irving to former Lakers Davis, coaches Kidd and Frank Vogel.
But the Knicks have the edge in a bidding war as team owner James Dolan is not stingy when it comes to upgrading the team, especially on team personnel, where there is no salary cap limit.
If Handy chooses the Knicks over the Mavericks, he is expected to oversee the team’s player development.
One of the factors that won Brown the Knicks coaching job is his strong player development and detailed approach.
According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, the Knicks asked Brown and other candidates how they could change the substitution patterns, which became rigid under Tom Thibodeau.
“The Knicks hoped to find someone who could balance competitiveness with the development of younger, non-rotation players at the edge of the bench. Candidates presented strategies on how to handle such situations,” Katz wrote.
If Handy comes in and develops some of the Knicks’ young players like Tyler Kolek or Pacome Dadiet the way he did with Reaves, that will be a massive help for a team that will teeter on the second apron for the next few seasons.
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