Milwaukee Bucks Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nurse, Atkinson, Griffin Finalists In Bucks’ Coaching Search

May 22nd, 2023 at 12:36pm CST by Rory Maher

Former Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, Warriors associate head coach Kenny Atkinson, and Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin have emerged as the three finalists in the Bucks‘ search for a new head coach, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The three candidates will meet with the team’s leadership this week as part of the final interview process, Wojnarowski adds.

The Bucks fired former coach Mike Budenholzer after a disappointing first-round playoff exit, despite the fact that he led the club to the championship in 2021 and won the most regular season games in the NBA during his five seasons at the helm.

Nurse, who led Toronto to its first title in 2019 in his debut season as an NBA head coach, was dismissed after the team went 41-41 and was eliminated in the play-in tournament. The 2020 Coach of the Year compiled a 227-163 (.582) regular season record and a 25-16 (.610) playoff mark with the Raptors.

The 55-year-old is reportedly in “high demand” and could end up with more than one job offer. He also interviewed for the Sixers’ lead coaching job and is expected to meet with the Suns as well.

A longtime NBA assistant who has spent time with the Knicks, Hawks and Clippers, Atkinson was the head coach of the Nets from 2016-20, accruing a 118-190 record (.383) over parts of four seasons. He has been with the Warriors for the past two seasons.

The Nets improved their win total in each of Atkinson’s first three seasons, making the playoffs in ’18/19. Known as a player development guru, the 55-year-old had a verbal agreement to become Charlotte’s head coach last offseason, but backed out of the arrangement before it was finalized, citing family considerations as a factor in his decision.

Griffin, 48, has interviewed (or was expected to interview) for nearly every open head coaching job over the past season-plus, including the vacancies that popped up after the ’22/23 season concluded for the Rockets, Pistons, Raptors and Bucks. He just completed his 15th season as an assistant and has been with Toronto since ’18/19.

As our coaching tracker shows, the Bucks either interviewed or were expected to interview at least 13 candidates for the position, including several other former head coaches.

Central Notes: Ivey, Wings, Mad Ants, Bucks

May 21st, 2023 at 1:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Pistons rookie shooting guard Jaden Ivey seems to be on the precipice of an exciting pro career in Detroit, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.

Langlois notes that Ivey’s diligent work ethic and multifaceted growth as a passer and defender should be encouraging developments for Pistons fans. As a rookie, he posted promising stats of 16.3 PPG, 5.2 APG and 3.9 RPG across 74 contests.

“The guy really works,” Pistons general manager Troy Weaver said. “He got better in all aspects. He’s got a big-time upside but what makes that so attractive is he works. That’s what sold us during the process. The kid’s a big-time worker and he’ll be in and improve. Whatever his weaknesses are, he’ll work through them. Whatever he’s supposed to be as a player, he’ll become because he’ll put the work in.”

There’s more out of the Central Division:

Having missed out on the draft’s top prize, do-everything big man Victor Wembanyama, the Pistons now seem to be prioritizing a pick that will fit the rest of their roster, writes Mike Curtis of The Detroit News (subscription required). Curtis notes that several potential Detroit draft targets, including Villanova forward Cam Whitmore and Overtime Elite swingmen Ausar and Amen Thompson, should possess the athletic skill set that would allow them to complement incumbent perimeter players Bojan Bogdanovic and Isaiah Livers.
The Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the G League affiliate of the Pacers, are departing their home arena, Fort Wayne’s Memorial Coliseum, after 16 years. The Mad Ants will be relocating to Indianapolis temporarily, before settling in a Noblesville arena, still under construction at present, for the 2024/25 season. Dylan Sinn and Devan Filchak of The Journal Gazette detail the impact of the departure on the community.
The Bucks are reportedly moving to the next stage in their search for their next head coach this weekend. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), Milwaukee is in the process of selecting candidates for the second stage of its interview process.

Giannis Laughs At Warriors' Fan Suggestion

May 19th, 2023 at 5:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo had some fun on social media when a Warriors fan implored him to push for a trade to Golden State. Antetokounmpo smiled and said, “Nah, I’m not that kind of guy,” JR Radcliffe of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays. The two-time MVP cannot opt out of his contract until the summer of 2025.
In a lengthy mailbag piece, The Athletic’s Eric Nehm writes in-depth about the Bucks’ coaching opening and why the organization parted ways with Mike Budenholzer. Nehm believes the next coach needs to have a solid plan about improving the Bucks’ half-court offense.

Nick Nurse Expected To Meet With Bucks, Suns

May 19th, 2023 at 11:40am CST by Luke Adams

In addition to interviewing with the Sixers, Nick Nurse is expected to meet with the Bucks and Suns to discuss their head coaching positions, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.

According to Charania, Nurse is expected to be in “high demand” this spring and could end up having one more than one job offer to choose from.

There are currently five NBA teams with head coaching openings. Besides Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Phoenix, the Raptors and Pistons are in the market for coaches. But Toronto just parted ways with Nurse and Detroit is believed to be in the final stages of its search.

Nurse won a championship in 2019 with the Raptors and was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 2020, earning praise for his creative defensive schemes. Across five seasons, Nurse had a 227-163 (.582) regular season record and a 25-16 (.610) playoff mark as Toronto’s head coach.

As our head coaching search tracker shows, the Bucks are conducting a wide-ranging search as they seek a replacement for Mike Budenholzer — reports have indicated that they’ve interviewed or will interview at least 13 candidates. Nurse is the fifth candidate said to be meeting with Phoenix.

Coaching Rumors: Lue, Popovich, Pistons, Raptors, Udoka

May 18th, 2023 at 2:39pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bucks and Suns are rumored to be interested in Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue, but he’s still under contract for two more seasons, though only one of those is thought to be guaranteed.

There’s growing skepticism among those close to the coach and the Clippers that a rival team would be able to poach Lue away, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

The Clippers still hope to contend for championships going forward despite another disappointing playoff exit in 2022/23, and owner Steve Ballmer is known to be a “huge fan” of Lue. As Fischer observes, the Bucks and Suns also don’t have much in the form of future first-round picks, which would likely be necessary to acquire Lue — assuming the Clippers would even permit a rival to interview him, and there’s no indication they would — while he’s still under contract.

The Bucks do have their 2029 first-rounder available, but Fischer suggests they’ll likely use it to acquire a player — either this offseason or in the future. Sources tell Fischer that Milwaukee contemplated dealing the pick to try to land Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic ahead of the February trade deadline.

Here are some more coaching rumors from around the NBA:

Gregg Popovich, the longest-tenured head coach in the league, is expected to stay with the Spurs for as long as he wants to continue coaching, and there’s no indication that the Hall-of-Famer plans to retire next season, especially after San Antonio won the draft lottery. However, Popovich’s contract expired at the end of the season, and he hasn’t signed a new deal yet, sources tell Fischer.
The fact that the Pistons have yet to hire one of their three coaching finalists has left coaching agents around the league wondering if they’ll reopen their search and consider more candidates, Fischer writes. The three finalists — Kevin Ollie, Charles Lee and Jarron Collins — met with owner Tom Gores last week, Fischer confirms. Detroit is thought to have interest in Monty Williams, who was fired by the Suns last week, so that might explain the holdup. That said, Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com hears from sources that the job is expected to come down to either Ollie or Collins (Twitter link).
According to Fischer, the Raptors hope to be “blown away” in an interview with one of their long list of coaching candidates. Toronto is believed to be open to an “unconventional” choice. Assistant coaches Jim Sann and Rico Hanes are expected to be retained regardless of who is named head coach, sources tell Fischer.
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated hears (via Twitter) that Ime Udoka “wants to do right” by his former Celtics assistants, and will extend those interested an invitation to join him with the Rockets after his unceremonious departure from Boston. Royal Ivey, who worked with Udoka on the Nets, recently joined his staff in Houston.

Bucks To Interview Will Weaver For Coaching Vacancy

May 18th, 2023 at 12:35pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bucks plan to interview Will Weaver for their head coaching job, sources tell Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

Weaver spent the 2022/23 season as head coach of Paris Basketball of the LNB Pro A, France’s top basketball league. However, after the team’s season concluded, Weaver said he would be departing the organization, according to French outlet L’Equipe.

“In March, the club offered me to stay, to become the general manager,” Weaver said, per Google Translate. “I was honored that they offered me a long-term contract but it was not the right time for me and my family. I have opportunities (to join a staff) in the NBA and that’s where I’ll coach next season.”

A former assistant with the Sixers, Nets and Rockets, Weaver has also had previous head coaching jobs with the G League’s Long Island Nets and the Sydney Kings of Australia’s National Basketball League. He interviewed for the Thunder’s lead coaching job a few years ago.

The Nets and Raptors are among the teams said to have interest in Weaver as an assistant.

According to Fischer, current Portland assistant and former Thunder and Wizards head coach Scott Brooks left a “strong impression” on the Bucks during his interview. Former Lakers coach Frank Vogel is expected to interview for the job this week, sources tell Fischer.

Suns Get Permission To Interview Assistant Coaches

May 18th, 2023 at 8:56am CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns have begun the process to replace head coach Monty Williams, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who states that they have received permission to interview several assistants, including the Kings‘ Jordi Fernandez, the Bucks‘ Charles Lee and the Grizzlies‘ Darko Rajakovic.

Lee has been reported as one of the finalists to fill the Pistons‘ head coaching vacancy, along with former UConn and Overtime Elite head coach Kevin Ollie and Pelicans assistant Jarron Collins. Detroit narrowed its list to three nearly two weeks ago, but may be waiting to see if Williams is interested before making a final decision.

Lee also interviewed for the opening with the Raptors and is considered to be a candidate to replace Mike Budenholzer in Milwaukee.

Fernandez interviewed with Toronto in late April and was mentioned as a candidate when the Hawks fired Nate McMillan in February. After spending six years as an assistant in Denver, Fernandez came to Sacramento as associate head coach last offseason when Mike Brown was hired.

Rajakovic is also on the Raptors’ list of coaching candidates. He has been in Memphis since 2020 after spending time as an assistant with the Thunder and Suns.

Bucks Notes: Middleton, Lopez, Draft, Besson, Quinn

May 17th, 2023 at 7:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

If the Bucks are determined to re-sign Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, they may have to trade at least one of their mid-level salaries to avoid the punitive restrictions in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, writes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Milwaukee already has $114.78MM committed to six players for next season, putting the team in sight of the projected $134MM salary cap.

The Bucks are about to pay the luxury tax for the third straight year, so they have to be mindful of the repeater penalties that will kick in if they top next season’s projected tax threshold of $162MM. Nehm notes that it will be almost impossible to stay under that number if Middleton picks up his $40.4MM player option, especially with Lopez seeking an increase on the $13.9MM he made this season. Middleton could also agree to decline the option and work out a long-term deal with a smaller salary for next year.

Nehm adds that the next figure to be concerned about is $179.5MM, which is where the new second apron is projected to begin. He notes that if the Bucks reach $170.18MM in salary with eight players, they won’t be able to offer an outside free agent more than a minimum contract, which is projected at $1.99MM for 2023/24, without going into the second apron.

If general manger Jon Horst chooses to unload salary to ease the team’s financial burden, Nehm sees Bobby Portis ($11.71MM next season), Pat Connaughton ($9.24MM) and Grayson Allen ($8.93MM) as the most likely to be traded.

There’s more from Milwaukee:

Horst and his staff are going through draft preparations even though the Bucks only hold the 58th and final pick, per Jim Owczarski of The Journal-Sentinel. Horst wants the team to be ready for any scenario that might occur on draft night. “It’s not unforeseeable that we could acquire a first-round pick in some sort of deal that we execute prior to or at the draft, and they have to be ready for that,” he said. “We obviously possess a pick at the end of the second round. We have to be ready for that. But also, the trades and things that happen from a personnel, an NBA personnel standpoint, be ready for that.”
The Bucks are continuing to monitor the progress of Hugo Besson, who was selected at No. 58 last year and was acquired from the Pacers for cash considerations, Owczarski adds. The French guard played four Summer League games for Milwaukee in 2022 and then joined Victor Wembanyama on Metropolitans 92.
Heat assistant Chris Quinn could be a name to watch in the Bucks’ coaching search if he can convince ownership that he can translate some of Miami’s toughness to Milwaukee, suggests Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News.
In case you missed it, University of Houston coach Kelvin Sampson and Wizards assistant Joseph Blair are the Bucks’ latest interviewees.

Kelvin Sampson, Joseph Blair Interview For Bucks Job

May 17th, 2023 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

University of Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson interviewed with the Bucks about their coaching vacancy, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Sampson has an NBA background, having spent six years in the league as an assistant coach, including three in Milwaukee. He left for the NCAA in 2014 and has turned the Cougars into one of college basketball’s best programs, making four straight trips to the Sweet 16.

Wojnarowski notes that Sampson has worked with general manager Jon Horst, who was part of the Bucks’ front office while Sampson was an assistant under Scott Skiles from 2008-11.

Milwaukee has been conducting an extensive search since Mike Budenholzer was fired following a first-round playoff loss, but Sampson is the first college coach to get an interview, sources tell Wojnarowski.

The process has mainly focused on current NBA assistants such as Charles Lee, Kenny Atkinson, Scott Brooks, Adrian Griffin, Chris Quinn and Kevin Young, along with former Hornets head coach James Borrego. The Bucks are also reported to have interest in Monty Williams, who was fired by the Suns over the weekend.

Wizards assistant Joseph Blair also recently had an interview in Milwaukee, Wojnarowski tweets. Blair won a G League championship with Rio Grande Valley in 2019 before becoming an assistant with Philadelphia, Minnesota and Washington.

Kevin Young To Interview For Bucks’ Job

May 15th, 2023 at 6:32pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bucks have received permission from the Suns to interview assistant Kevin Young for their head coaching job, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.

Young has emerged as one of the hottest names for a head coach position. He has been mentioned as a candidate for the Raptors’ job, as well as the Suns’ potential replacement for Monty Williams, who was let go last week.

The Bucks are also reportedly interested in Young’s former boss, Williams, in their search to replace Mike Budenholzer. Additionally, they’ve received permission to interview Heat assistant Chris Quinn and plan to interview ABC/ESPN analyst and former Warriors head coach Mark Jackson. Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin is also on that list, and they’ve also been granted permission to interview Trail Blazers assistant Scott Brooks.

Young coached multiple G League teams and was an assistant coach with the Sixers before joining Williams’ staff in Phoenix in 2020.