The New York Knicks were sniffing around the Minnesota Timberwolves' coaching staff for the third time in the 2025 offseason in the past week. Unfortunately for the Knicks, the third time was not the charm, as Pablo Prigioni will remain as an assistant coach for the Timberwolves. Prigioni played for the Knicks from 2012 to 2015, so many Knicks fans thought he would return to the Big Apple.
Pablo Prigioni Set To Stay In Minnesota Amidst Knicks Interest originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The New York Knicks were sniffing around the Minnesota Timberwolves' coaching staff for the third time in the 2025 offseason in the past week. Unfortunately for the Knicks, the third time was not the charm, as Pablo Prigioni will remain as an assistant coach for the Timberwolves.
He had the most concrete connection to the Knicks from the trio of Chris Finch, Micah Nori, and him. Prigioni played for the Knicks from 2012 to 2015, so many Knicks fans thought he would return to the Big Apple. Unfortunately for them and fortunately for the Timberwolves, he wants to stay.
Mike Brown has taken over as the new Knicks coach, and he aims to strengthen his coaching staff. Prigioni was a strong choice, considering he had experience as a high-level point guard around the world and the NBA. He also had a strong relationship with Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks' star center who came from Minnesota.
Prigioni would have been an inspired choice, as most people within the Timberwolves organization have sung his praises. He is a fantastic basketball mind, and he deserves all the love he has gotten from Minnesota. Unfortunately for the Knicks, they won't get that level of assistant coach, as they are forced to pivot now.
Prigioni Wants To Stay With His Family In Minnesota
Since Prigioni has been living in Minnesota for six years, it is challenging to relocate away from the Timberwolves organization. Prigioni has a family, so he wants to stay in his job and close to his family. He does not want to relocate them to a familiar space in New York City, but that is not where they have spent most of the past decade.
Amid interest from Knicks, MIN assistant Pablo Prigioni decided to stay with T Wolves, citing family reasons, league sources tell SNY. One coach squarely on NYK radar for an assistant job under Mike Brown? Clippers assistant coach Brendan O’Connor, league sources tell SNY.…
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) July 26, 2025
At the same time, Prigioni already has a fantastic job with the Timberwolves. Considering they reached the Western Conference Finals the past two seasons, they have the potential to grow further. Under coach Chris Finch, Prigioni can continue to improve his coaching and potentially aim for a head coach position in the future.
He has already laid the foundation for a lengthy coaching career, and he will continue to do so in Minnesota. If he opts to leave the team, that will be later in the future, as he is sticking around the Timberwolves organization.
The Timberwolves Could Surprise People In The 2025-26 Season
While most people see New York as one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference, NBA fans are not looking at the Timberwolves. In this discourse surrounding Prigioni, helping the Timberwolves develop further is arguably the better path for an assistant coach like Prigioni.
Some guys just love to hoop.
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) May 8, 2025
I’m sure Pablo Prigioni isn’t the biggest fan of me shouting him out…
but literally every practice aval, any time there is even a second of down time he’s getting shots up even if it’s all alone. #WolvesBackpic.twitter.com/k76sXSb5yN
He can help develop Anthony Edwards further and lay the groundwork for young players like Rob Dillingham and Joan Beringer. The future is bright in Minnesota because of the front office, players, and Finch's coaching staff.
Almost everyone in the Timberwolves organization has a story about Prigioni. He has been ingrained in the team's culture, and he will be cited as one of the reasons behind their success.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
