Mike Brown Reportedly Lands $40M Knicks Contract, Thibs Still Owed $30M After Firing

Details emerged Saturday regarding Mike Brown's contract to become the new head coach of the New York Knicks.

ESPN's Shams Charania first reported Wednesday that the Knicks were set to hire Brown as the replacement for Tom Thibodeau. On Saturday, SNY's Ian Begley reported that Brown and the Knicks agreed to a four-year, $40 million deal.

Begley added that the Knicks still owe Thibodeau $30 million after firing him last month, meaning the Knicks have approximately $70 million committed to head coaching salaries over the next four years.

Brown, 55, is set to coach his fourth different NBA team after previous stints as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings. He also spent some time as the Golden State Warriors' acting head coach when Steve Kerr was out due to back issues.

Last season, after a 13-18 start, the Kings fired Brown as their head coach. Per Begley, the firing occurred during the first year of an extension that was set to pay Brown $8.5 million per year through the 2026-27 season.

As a result of the Knicks hiring Brown, some or all of the money still owed to Brown by the Kings is expected to be offset, according to Begley.

Over the course of 11 seasons as an NBA head coach, Brown owns a 454-304 record with seven playoff appearances. He also boasts a 50-40 postseason record.

Brown's greatest success came during his first stint as head coach of the Cavs from 2005 to 2010, when he won over 66 percent of his games and reached the playoffs all five years.

With LeBron James leading the way on the court, Brown helped guide the Cavs to an NBA Finals appearance in 2007 as well, although they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs.

Brown hasn't been anywhere near as successful since the end of that five-year run in Cleveland, going 182-166 with two playoff appearances and only one playoff series win.

However, Brown did help the Kings achieve their greatest success in quite some time, as their playoff appearance in 2023 ended a 16-season playoff drought.

The Kings missed the playoffs the following season despite winning 46 games, and he didn't last long into the 2024-25 campaign after getting off to a slow start.

In New York, Brown takes over an ideal situation, as the Knicks have made three straight trips to the playoffs and four in the past five seasons. That included reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last season.

The Knicks fell to the Indiana Pacers in six games in the ECF, though, prompting the front office to make a coaching change by moving on from Thibodeau.

There is a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the Eastern Conference entering the 2025-26 season since many of the top teams from last season could look a lot different.

The Boston Celtics could be without superstar forward Jayson Tatum for much or all of the season after he tore his Achilles, and the same goes for the Pacers with guard Tyrese Haliburton.

Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Bucks lost guard Damian Lillard to a torn Achilles and subsequently waived him.

The Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic are potential teams on the rise in the East, but the Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers will almost certainly be the teams to beat since they are returning nearly all of their key players.

That means the pressure is on for Brown to get the Knicks to their first NBA Finals since way back in 1999.