Report: Bucks fire head coach Mike Budenholzer after first-round loss to Heat

The Milwaukee Bucks have fired head coach Mike Budenholzer after the team’s first-round exit from the 2023 NBA playoffs at the hands of the Miami Heat, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. Budenholzer oversaw the Bucks when they won the 2021 NBA Finals, but could not get back to that level over the last two seasons.

It’ll be interesting to see which direction the Bucks go in, as they’ve seen top assistants draw interest from other teams across the league. Darvin Ham is the head coach of the Lakers, while Charles Lee is reportedly among the contenders for the Pistons vacancy. We’ll see the Bucks interview Lee, who is currently the associate head coach of the team, for the full-time gig.

Budenholzer went to the playoffs every season with the Bucks, making the conference finals twice and winning the title once. Prior to Milwaukee, he oversaw the Atlanta Hawks for five seasons. He led the Hawks to a 60-win season and a conference finals appearance but couldn’t get over the final hurdle.

There will be interest around the league for Budenholzer as a head coach. The Raptors and Pistons are in the market for a head coach, while the Timberwolves, Trail Blazers and Wizards could be looking to make changes.