If Knicks president Phil Jackson wanted to talk to Warriors stud assistant Luke Walton during their expected long playoff run, Golden State would not stand in the way, according to an NBA source.

Golden State’s position is that an assistant can interview for a head-coaching position “as long as it does not interfere with the team’s preparation during the playoffs,’’ the source said. For instance, an interview would need to happen in the Oakland, Calif., area at a convenient time with the club enjoying a couple of days off.

It’s unclear if Walton will want to grant any interviews as the Warriors embark on defending their title after breaking the record for best overall record with 73 wins, topping Jackson’s 1995-96 Bulls.

Jackson said he soon will embark on a narrow coaching search with coaches he “already knows.” He made a reference the search could go on until July, presumably referring to after Walton is done with The Finals.

Walton, who played for Jackson with the Lakers, is well-schooled in the triangle, but already turned down an assistant’s job in New York with Derek Fisher two years ago. Walton, one of Jackson’s favorite players, should be a hot commodity, especially if the Lakers’ position opens, but there’s a growing belief he wants to stay with the Warriors another season if they win a second title.

On Thursday, Jackson never said he would talk only to coaches with triangle experience. The buzzword was “simpatico.” Jackson is looking to see if he connects with another potential leader.

It’s worth noting that in 1989, when Jackson, then a Bulls assistant, replaced Doug Collins as Chicago’s head coach, the Zen Master didn’t know the triangle. One of the triangle inventors, Tex Winter, was a Bulls assistant.

When Jackson took charge, he met with general manager Jerry Krause and told him, “I’m going to turn the offense over to Tex,’’ according to Roland Lazenby’s book, “Mind Games.” Hence, the triangle was born in Chicago, but Jackson still had to learn it.

History could repeat itself if Jackson takes a gamble on someone he’s not so close to — such as former Cavaliers coach David Blatt, one of GM Steve Mills’ best friends. Conceivably, Jackson can make the Blatt hire with the idea Kurt Rambis would become the new Tex Winter — the offensive coordinator in charge of his beloved triangle.

Blatt is more of a defensive coach and never has had one set offensive system. A source close to Blatt said he adapts to his personnel.

Rambis still is in consideration for the head job, but Jackson made an alarming remark about his 9-19 tenure.

“We didn’t have a group that really bonded together,’’ Jackson said. “I thought they came apart at the end of the season. So we have to make changes. No doubt about that.’’

Jackson tweeted in February he will seek a “transformational’’ leader — one who excels at team-building — as opposed to a “transactional leader.” The latter excels in getting employees to excel at tasks. Rambis got the triangle working better, but the team didn’t function better. He was more transactional leader than transformational in this context.

Thursday, Jackson made a vague reference to that tweet when asked about the type of candidate he would seek, saying, in part, “Without being more explicit in various things I’ve written.’’

Jackson has to figure out if the team was so broken by Feb. 8, when Rambis took over, that not even Red Auerbach could have changed its course. The Knicks were just about out of the playoff race when Rambis took over for Fisher. Soon after, without the playoff carrot, the players already were dreaming of summer vacation.

Jackson also has to digest Carmelo Anthony’s wishes that the Knicks give heavy consideration to other coaches to see if there’s a match. Anthony sounded like he feels the Knicks need a new voice.

“It should be open to whoever is the best you feel can come here and make it a better situation,” Anthony said.

Clearly, Anthony would love to see guys like Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy and Tom Thibodeau interviewed. The fans would love to see Patrick Ewing get a call. The Post has reported since February that Jackson won’t consider Thibodeau because of his ugly Chicago fallout.