Darvin Ham Reportedly Can't Leave Bucks for Knicks Associate HC Role Amid NBA Rumors

As Mike Brown looks to form his New York Knicks coaching staff over the coming months, he reportedly won't have the chance to hire Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham.

Per the New York Post's Stefan Bondy, Ham cannot take a position as an associate head coach for the Knicks because it would be "a lateral move."

“It’s just the way it’s done,” a person involved with the situation said, per Bondy. “Standard procedure.”

According to Bondy, the Knicks have not filed an interview request with Ham.

Ham began his NBA coaching career with the Los Angeles Lakers as an assistant from 2011 to 2013 before serving as an assistant for the Atlanta Hawks and Bucks. He took over as head coach of the Lakers in 2022 but was fired after their first-round playoff exit in 2024.

After his Lakers exit, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers hired him as a lead assistant ahead of last season. Milwaukee went 48-34 under Rivers and Ham, losing in the first round of the playoffs.

If Ham wants to move on from the Bucks, it appears he can only do so if it's for a head coaching job. That didn't happen during this year's coaching cycle, but it's realistic to think he might draw some interest in the coming years.

According to Bondy, the Knicks sent requests to interview James Borrego of the New Orleans Pelicans and Jay Triano of the Dallas Mavericks, though both of those requests were denied.

Borrego has been a top candidate for a head coaching gig over the past few seasons, and the Knicks even interviewed him for their head coaching job, but he'll ultimately remain in New Orleans this season.

The Knicks hired Brown in June following Tom Thibodeau's firing. Though it's only his first year, expectations are high for Brown, considering New York reached the conference finals last season. Brown said he's ready to "embrace" those high expectations and deliver the franchise its first championship in more than 50 years.

First, he'll have to finish filling out his coaching staff.