The Milwaukee Bucks made headlines on Thursday when they decided to part ways with head coach Mike Budenholzer.
Named the NBA's Coach of the Year in 2019 with the team, as well as coaching Milwaukee to a championship in 2021, their first championship since 1971, Budenholzer's release definitely came as a surprise to many around the league. Then again, the writing had been on the wall for quite some time. There was a belief Budenholzer wouldn't have remained with the Bucks if they did not win their championship in 2021.
The Bucks entered the playoffs with high title aspirations after owning the best record in the league. Those hopes were quickly destroyed thanks to Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat. Obviously missing superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo for two of the five games in this series due to a back injury factored into the team's demise. But Budenholzer was very quickly painted as the scapegoat due to his lack of adjustments across the board.
Looking for Mike Budenholzer Replacement
This upcoming offseason is extremely important for the future of the Bucks. Aside from what they will have to deal with contractually with free agency, Milwaukee now faces the challenge of finding a head coach that can keep their championship window open.
The NBA coaching carousel is not vast this season and the Houston Rockets already took one of the top candidates off the board by hiring former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka. As far as coaches with championship experience, Frank Vogel and Nick Nurse remain two top-tier candidates for any team in the market for a new head coach.
Vogel led the Los Angeles Lakers to a championship in 2020 and has seven playoff appearances in 11 seasons as a head coach. As for Nurse, he finds himself in a similar position as Mike Budenholzer. The former Toronto Raptors head coach was let go shortly after Toronto's disappointing season ended with them losing in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament. That also came despite leading them to their first championship in 2019.
Both Vogel and Nurse could be potential candidates for the Bucks to consider, as is current assistant coach Charles Lee. One of the rising names in the NBA coaching ranks, Lee interviewed for a few head coach openings across the league a year ago. He recently interviewed for the Raptors' position, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.
The Bucks will take their time with this matter though, as they will not be rushing their decision in the hiring process. This organization is going through somewhat of a re-tooling phase, but they know they have what it takes to get back to the NBA Finals. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, this is why the team is going to take their time replacing Budenholzer.
Moving on from Budenholzer though following a 58-win season is somewhat problematic, especially given the challenges the Bucks are set to face already in the offseason.
Bucks Roster Questions
Brook Lopez is coming off an incredible season in which he finished as a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year. He will most likely earn All-Defensive First Team honors as well. The 35-year-old center will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Khris Middleton only played in 38 total games, including both the playoffs and regular season, due to injuries and he has been the Bucks' second-best offensive weapon for years behind Giannis Antetokounmpo. The three-time All-Star wing can opt out of his $40.4 million player option this offseason and become an unrestricted free agent.
Milwaukee has two incredibly huge decisions to make on both players, who will undoubtedly have multiple suitors in free agency this offseason. Losing either Lopez or Middleton could have devastating effects on the Bucks' chances of remaining championship threats in the Eastern Conference and each of their decisions could also influence Antetokounmpo's desire to remain with the organization long-term.
Giannis will be eligible for another massive extension in September and while he is still under contract through the 2024-25 season, 2025-26 season if you count his $51.9 million player option, there are definitely questions that he has about what the future holds in Milwaukee. Who the new coach will be and what both Middleton and Lopez decide to do absolutely factor into Antetokounmpo's decision to sign another deal. If the two sides do not agree to an extension in the offseason, things could spiral out of control quickly for the Bucks.
Their payroll is set to increase. New rules from the CBA will come into play and cracks are beginning to form for an organization that was viewed as the team to beat for many years to come after their title in 2021. Budenholzer's dismissal is the first big domino to fall for the Bucks, as they face a ton of challenges this offseason that do not necessarily align with one another.
The Bucks are trying to juggle so much right now and one wrong move could result in a doomsday scenario for one of the league's most successful franchises over the last several seasons.
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