First-Round Collapse Was Enough for Bucks to Move on From Mike Budenholzer

Despite winning a championship in 2021, Budenholzer’s job security had long been tenuous.

Just over a week after the Bucks’ season ended with a bitterly disappointing first-round loss to the Heat, Milwaukee has parted ways with coach Mike Budenholzer, ending Budenholzer’s five-year run with the franchise.

“The decision to make this change was very difficult,” Bucks general manager Jon Horst said. “Bud helped lead our team for five incredible seasons, to the Bucks’ first title in 50 years, and into an era of sustained success. We are grateful for the culture of winning and leadership that Bud helped create in Milwaukee.”

Why it happened: A first-round exit. Miami was not a typical No. 8 seed and Milwaukee was without Giannis Antetokounmpo for two games in that series and most of a third. But the Bucks lost all three games Antetokounmpo played and Budenholzer’s questionable coaching decisions in Game 5—keeping Brook Lopez on the bench late in regulation, not using either of his timeouts in overtime—contributed to the outcome.

There was some thought after the season that Budenholzer’s earned equity with the team—specifically his leadership in Milwaukee’s 2021 title-winning season—would earn him another year. And it’s worth noting that Budenholzer coached with a heavy heart after one of his three brothers tragically died in a car accident before Game 4. But his job security has long been tenuous. If the Bucks had lost the second-round series to the Nets in ’21—a series Brooklyn came a Kevin Durant foot on the three-point line from winning in Game 7—it’s widely believed Budenholzer would have been fired. Ultimately, becoming just the sixth No. 1 seed to lose in the first round to a No. 8 gave Horst enough reason to make a change.

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Who’s next: Charles Lee is a compelling in-house candidate. A Budenholzer assistant in Atlanta and Milwaukee, Lee is a rising star in the coaching ranks. He’s been in the mix for several head coaching jobs in recent years and is currently among the finalists for the Pistons job. External candidates include Frank Vogel, who won a championship in Los Angeles and has a strong track record for coaching elite big men, and Nick Nurse, the recently deposed Raptors coach.

Will this alter the Bucks offseason? Not really. “This is an opportunity for us to refocus and reenergize our efforts as we continue building toward our next championship season,” Horst said. The Bucks will engage Antetokounmpo, who is under contract through 2025, in extension talks and will likely have to make a nine-figure commitment to keep both Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez in town. Regardless of who is coaching, the priority will be adding talent around Antetokounmpo to keep the former MVP happy—and keep the title-winning window open with him.