John Calipari Reportedly Inquired About New York Knicks' Presidency Vacancy

Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari reportedly reached out to the New York Knicks "through intermediaries" to express interest in the team's vacant president of basketball operations position, ESPN.com's Ian Begley reported Thursday. 

Citing league sources, Begley reported the Knicks aren't interested in hiring Calipari "at the moment." 

However, Calipari later denied the report:

The Knicks are in the early stages of their search for the new face of the franchise's front office after parting ways with Phil Jackson on Wednesday.

Begley added that Calipari would "presumably" want to take over as head coach if he were hired to replace Jackson. 

Calipari, 58, has no NBA front office experience, but he did coach at the pro level two decades ago when he spent three seasons with the New Jersey Nets. Between 1996 and 1999, Calipari went 72-112, good for a winning percentage of .391. 

However, Calipari has experienced much more success in college. 

Since joining the Kentucky Wildcats in 2009, Calipari has gone 249-53 (.825), coached eight consensus All-Americans, qualified for four Final Fours and won a national championship. 

In March, Calipari and the Wildcats agreed to terms on a revised contract, which is now scheduled to run through 2024 and pay out $8 million annually every season after the 2017-18 campaign, according to CBS Sports' Gary Parrish. 

As for the Knicks, a report from the Toronto Star's Bruce Arthur on Wednesday suggested they may already have a target in their sights to lead the front office following a turbulent few seasons under Jackson. 

Citing league sources, Arthur reported the Knicks are "already confident" they can poach Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri and hire him to the same post in the Big Apple. 

But as Begley noted, the Knicks would likely have to part with draft picks if they were successful in their pursuit of Ujiri, since he's under contract with the Raptors.