Dan Hurley addresses New York Knicks rumors after Tom Thibodeau firing

Once news broke of the New York Knicks’ decision to fire Tom Thibodeau, the rumor mill got going. One name immediately came up: UConn coach Dan Hurley.

Hurley, of course, flirted with the Los Angeles Lakers job last year before ultimately choosing to stay in Storrs and the franchise hired J.J. Redick. But with an opening in New York – meaning he could stay on the East Coast – speculation started to swirl about whether Hurley could be an option for the Knicks.

Speaking with reporters Tuesday night, Hurley addressed the rumors head-on. He dismissed the speculation ahead of a banquet where his wife received an award.

“Not another summer of that,” Hurley said, via the Hartford Courant’s Dom Amore.

Last offseason, Hurley and UConn were coming off a second consecutive national championship, becoming the first program to do so since Florida in 2006 and 2007. The Lakers heavily pursued him to replace Darvin Ham, but he turned them down to run it back at UConn.

The Huskies went 24-11 this past season after falling to eventual national champion Florida in the second round of the NCAA Tournament after a thrilling matchup. This offseason, though, Hurley and the staff went to work to not only keep key pieces in place, but also build out the roster.

UConn will have standouts such as Solo Ball, Jaylin Stewart and Tarris Reed coming back, and Alex Karaban withdrew his name from the 2025 NBA Draft. In addition, the Huskies landed notable commitments from former Georgia guard Silas Demary and former Dayton guard Malachi Smith out of the transfer portal.

That level of player retention, in addition to the new faces, are why Dan Hurley is so optimistic about the coming season. He’s ready to get to work.

“Two days into practice, not everyone is on campus, but we’re thrilled with the way we’ve been able to put it together,” Hurley said. “Keeping the critical sophomore class together, keeping A.K (Alex Karaban), Tarris (Reed Jr.), too, those were big for us and then to address point guard in a major way, a big need area.”

Thibodeau spent five seasons in New York and amassed a 226-174 record during that time. This past year, the Knicks finished with their best record under Thibodeau, finishing 51-31 en route to their first Eastern Conference Finals berth since 2000.

However, criticism mounted about Thibodeau’s rotations and usage of his starters. Ultimately, after the season-ending loss to the Indiana Pacers, the Knicks opted to make a change.