Mike Budenholzer has agreed to a four-year deal to become the next head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, reports say.
Mike Budenholzer has reached an agreement to become the Milwaukee Bucks coach, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 16, 2018
The deal comes just a few weeks after Budenholzer and the Atlanta Hawks parted ways following a dismal 24-58 season. The head coach found success in his first four seasons in Atlanta, winning NBA coach of the year honors in 2014-15, but according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, he didn’t like the direction of the team after surrendering his role as president of basketball operations for the 2017-18 season.
Budenholzer also spent 17 seasons as an assistant under famed Spurs’ head coach Gregg Popovich.
The new Bucks coach reportedly met with the Phoenix Suns and the Toronto Raptors before coming to Milwaukee to have breakfast with Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. He agreed to terms later in the afternoon.
Budenholzer inherits a Milwaukee team that is loaded with talent, but has little to show in terms of postseason success in recent years. The future is bright, however, and Jon Horst believes Budenholzer is the right choice to steer 23 year-old superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and the rest of the Bucks past the first round of the playoffs.
The Bucks had previously been linked to the likes of Ettore Messina, Steve Clifford, Monty Williams and Becky Hammon.