It’s not a matter of if, but when.
Knicks interim coach Mike Woodson has been told by owner James Dolan in recent days the club plans to bring him back for next season, according to two people familiar with the situation.
As expected, Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald recommended Woodson’s return and Dolan was on board, realizing the 3-1 first-round deficit was not the coaching staff’s fault because of a spate of injuries.
The Knicks will not announce Woodson’s return until after the season, once a new contract — possibly for three years — is hammered out.
Woodson yesterday denied a published report the Knicks already had started negotiations with him and agent Joe Glass.
“No, I have not,’’ Woodson said. “It’s not true. Not at all.’’
The Knicks’ anticipated tango with coaching legend Phil Jackson never materialized. According to multiple sources, the Knicks never contacted the Zen Master.
The Knicks did not get the impression he was interested. But they will never know if he would have accepted the job because they never asked.
Jackson’s health was not an issue. Jackson had knee replacement surgery six weeks ago, and though he still is walking with a cane, he is feeling better than ever, having lost weight.
According to a source, Jackson wanted Woodson to get the job. Jackson’s mentor, Red Holzman, drafted Woodson, and the Knicks interim coach invoked Holzman’s name often.
Though Dolan was intrigued by Jackson, he no longer is big on throwing monster money at coaches after the Larry Brown fiasco. Dolan has been more frugal since plunging $850 million into a transformed Garden.
The Post reported after Grunwald’s promotion that Woodson was a shoo-in to return barring a playoff catastrophe. Grunwald and Woodson — former college teammates at Indiana — get along extremely well, and insiders say this maneuver is another indication of Dolan showing loyalty for a job well done.
Grunwald said last month Woodson had done “a fantastic job,’’ and Sunday’s victory over the Heat that broke a 13-game playoff losing streak sealed it.
One person familiar with the situation said Game 4 showed the players still want “to play hard for him.’’
Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony said yesterday they were supportive of Woodson’s return.
“Absolutely, if they’re going to do it right now or wait till after the season, I would love to see him back,’’ Anthony said. “I support that. Everybody knows what he did thus far since he’s been here in the short period that he’s been head coach. There’s no need to cut it off right now. We’re kind of just getting started.’’
Stoudemire added, “I think it’s something we can build on, for sure. We all love his philosophy on both ends of the court. It’d be great to build something solid sooner than later.’’
Though the Knicks fell behind 3-0 in the series, it is hard to fault Woodson because they were depleted by several devastating injuries. Yet they still have managed to play solid defense.
On Monday, Woodson said, “It’s not about Mike Woodson and my contract and where I go from here. When that time comes, I’m sure everybody will sit down and talk about my future.’’
Woodson guided the Knicks to a 18-6 regular-season finish after taking over for Mike D’Antoni on March 14.
marc.berman@nypost.com