Johnny Bryant will be reunited with Donovan Mitchell, but not in the way the Knicks envisioned.
Bryant, who served as the Knicks’ assistant head coach for the past four seasons, will be moving to the Cavaliers to take the same position under new head coach Kenny Atkinson, sources confirmed.
Bryant worked closely with Mitchell as an assistant with the Jazz, and the Knicks’ hiring of him in 2020, which came about through executive William Wesley according to people familiar with the matter, was seen as a way to lure the All-Star guard to New York.
Instead, Mitchell was traded from the Jazz to the Cavaliers for 2022 and recently signed a three-year max contract extension.
“I love [Bryant]”He’s helped me to the brink,” Mitchell told The Athletic before Bryant joined the Knicks. “He’s a guy who wants me to be the best. I met him in summer league and had heard a lot about him already. He pushed me beyond my limits in my three years with the Jazz. He doesn’t tell me what I want to hear, he tells me what I need to hear. I can’t say enough about him and how much he’s helped me.”
Bryant was popular with former Knicks coach Immanuel Quickley, who called his assistant coach “one of the smartest coaches I’ve ever been around.”
Julius Randle credited Bryant for the offseason mental makeover that led to the 2023 All-NBA selection.
Bryant also had a strong bond with Alec Burks during their season together at Utah.
Burks signed with the Heat as a free agent.
Thibodeau still has the assistants he hired and feels most comfortable with, including Darren Ehrman, Rick Brunson, Daniel Brady and Andy Greer.
Since Thibodeau took over in 2020, there have been some changes to the staff.
Bryant, Mike Woodson and Kenny Payne all left the team for other jobs.
Moe Cheeks joined the group this summer.
The Cavaliers fired J.B. Bickerstaff after their second-round playoff loss and hired former Nets coach Atkinson.
Bryant also interviewed for the head coaching job in Cleveland.
It’s unclear if Atkinson has any connection to Bryant, but it’s Mitchell’s connection that is most significant in this move.
ESPN was the first to report that Bryant was leaving the Knicks for the Cavs.
