3 Options Milwaukee Bucks Have For Head Coach Mike Budenolzer

It’s safe to say the Milwaukee Bucks’ critical 2023 offseason begins at the top with a conundrum at head coach: Should they keep or fire Mike Budenholzer? In an offseason full of difficult decisions, that is the first one they must make.

Under Budenholzer, the Bucks have transformed from an annual first-round playoff exit to a perennial championship contender. It happened overnight, as they increased their win total by 16 games in his first year in 2018-19.

Ironically, that leap to fame also coincided with the questions about whether he was the man to lead the Bucks to a championship. They were up 2-0 over the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals and failed to win a game the rest of the series.

It’s fair to say Milwaukee has suffered plenty of soul-crushing defeats with Budenholzer at the helm. Most of them leading to legitimate questions about his ability to design gameplans in the postseason and make correct adjustments on the fly. In addition to the heartbreak against Toronto, Milwaukee has been upset in the second round of the 2020 postseason against the Miami Heat and again in this year’s first round. They also fell to the Boston Celtics in the semi-finals of the 2022 playoffs.

Under his tenure, the Bucks have won more regular-season games (271) and more playoff games (38) than any other team in the last five years. This, of course, includes a championship in 2021.

However, after another premature postseason exit that included his worst-coached series, many are asking whether he’ll return as the head coach next season. Let’s dive into three options the Bucks have.

Keep Mike Budenholzer

This is as difficult of a decision as they come. The Bucks could be looking to move on from a coach who made them a championship contender to a coach who can make them a championship contender.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Milwaukee still owes him $16 million over the final two years of his deal. They’re already deep into the luxury tax and eating even more money on the coaching staff might not be doable.

There’s also the human aspect. One of Budenholzer’s brothers died in a car crash before Game 4, likely impacting him in myriad ways for the final two games of the series. As much as the NBA is a business, it would be cruel to end a relationship with a man who has been nothing but amazing during his tenure.

The Bucks’ first option is to keep Budenholzer and make internal changes to his coaching staff. It’s clear he needs some fresh blood inserted into an offense that stalled out against the Heat. He’s shown the unselfishness to listen to players and coaches before.

Fire Budenholzer, Promote Charles Lee

If Milwaukee decides to fire Budenholzer, they’ll probably look long and hard at assistant Charles Lee. Several prominent Bucks’ assistant coaches have recently been elevated to head coaching gigs, including Taylor Jenkins to the Memphis Grizzlies and Darvin Ham to the Los Angeles Lakers. Charles Lee is next in line.

Lee has been interviewing for head coaching gigs dating back to last year and is a finalist for the Detroit Pistons’ spot. It’s a matter of when, not if.

The Bucks could get ahead of the trend and promote from within. Being a first-time head coach, Lee would bring a particular learning curve to the position the franchise might want to avoid dealing with. However, that didn’t stop the Lakers from hiring Ham.

Fire Budenholzer, Hire New Head Coach

If the Bucks want fresh blood, they could fire Budenholzer and hire an external candidate. If they take this approach, they must move quickly, as many of the top candidates are already off the board.

Two of the notable, proven names are Kenny Atkinson and Nick Nurse. Others who have reportedly interviewed for different jobs include Lee, Adrian Griffin and Chris Quinn. In other words, it’s slim pickings.

The timing of the Bucks’ postseason exit and the fact they haven’t made a move almost a week later could be signs they are leaning toward keeping Budenholzer.