Milwaukee Bucks moving on from head coach Mike Budenholzer

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer has been let go, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link) and later confirmed by the organization.

The 58-24 Bucks, owners of the top record in the league this season, were defeated in five games by the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in a massive first-round upset to open their would-be playoff run.

A perfect storm of circumstances led to the early ouster of Milwaukee, widely considered the team to beat in the East this season. All-NBA forward Giannis Antetokounmpo had to depart the first game of the series with a back injury and missed the subsequent two contests. He played well in the fourth and fifth contests upon returning, though the Bucks lost both of those game.

All-NBA Miami swingman Jimmy Butler also enjoyed the series of his life against Milwaukee, averaging 37.6 PPG on .597/.444/.708 shooting splits while chipping in 6.0 RPG, 4.8 APG, and 1.8 SPG. The Heat were without their second-leading scorer, guard Tyler Herro, following the first half of Game 1 in the series.

Budenholzer’s decision-making during the series came under scrutiny in its immediate aftermath, particularly his decision to not leave probable All-Defensive Team rim protector Brook Lopez in to wall off the paint from Butler during the closing seconds of regulation in Game 5. Instead, against smaller Bucks guards, Butler pulled off a miracle shot thanks to a perfect Gabe Vincent inbounds pass, which propelled the Heat to an eventual overtime victory.

After serving as an assistant for the San Antonio Spurs under head coach Gregg Popovich from 1996-2013, Budenholzer took his first head coaching assignment with the Atlanta Hawks for the 2013-14 season. Budenholzer led the club as far as the Eastern Conference Finals in 2014-15 and won his first Coach of the Year award for his efforts. He also served as the team president from 2015-18.

Budenholzer joined the Bucks in the summer of 2018, immediately leading the team to the Eastern Conference Finals. Under his stewardship, Antetokounmpo won two MVP awards and Milwaukee won its first title since 1971, defeating the Suns in six games back in 2021.

Budenholzer owns a lifetime regular season coaching record of 484-317, including a 271-120 record with the Bucks. His postseason record is a more mediocre 56-48, although it’s a better 39-26 with Milwaukee.

In a statement regarding the move, Bucks GM Jon Horst said in part, "The decision to make this change was very difficult. Bud helped lead our team for five incredible seasons, to the Bucks’ first title in 50 years, and into an era of sustained success… This is an opportunity for us to refocus and reenergize our efforts as we continue building toward our next championship season.”

As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (Twitter link), replacing Budenholzer numbers among many items on a busy summer agenda for the Bucks. Lopez and three-time All-Star swingman Khris Middleton are both unrestricted free agents this offseason and Antetkounmpo is eligible for what promises to be a pricey extension.