NBA Rumors: Milwaukee Bucks targeting 2 top-tier coaches after firing Mike Budenholzer

The Milwaukee Bucks fired Mike Budenholzer after their shocking first-round exit to the No. 8 seed Miami Heat. The Bucks had the best record in the NBA this season.

Budenholzer won the 2021 title with the Bucks. He was named 2019 NBA Coach of the Year with the Bucks. He also won the award with the Atlanta Hawks in 2013. He has a career 484-317 record as a coach in ten seasons in the NBA.

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There has already been speculation about who the Bucks intend to hire to replace the vacant head coach position. According to Yahoo Sports Senior NBA Reporter Jake L. Fischer, the Bucks are interested in Tyronn Lue and Monty Williams.

Both coaches are currently employed by and under contract with other organizations. Lue is now the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. Williams is now the head coach of the Phoenix Suns.

Both coaches might be made available if their present teams decide to change their coaching staff, as the Bucks have already done. They could also be a part of a trade deal.

Five coaches have been traded before in NBA history. Pat Riley, Mike Dunleavy Sr., Stan Van Gundy, Doc Rivers and Jason Kidd were all involved in trade packages as coaches.

Could Ty Lue be the next coach of the Bucks?

Lue guided the LA Clippers to a 44-38 record this season. He managed to keep the team on the winning side despite multiple injuries to his main stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George who missed a ton of games.

Leonard only played 50 games this season and was on fire in the playoffs before sitting out with an injury. He only played in two games in the first-round series loss to the Suns.

George played in 56 games in the regular season. He missed the entire first-round series after suffering an injury in the play-in game.

Lue has shown the ability to guide teams of mostly role players to the playoffs but not much further. He was also the coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. He took over on an interim basis in 2016 and won the title with the Cavs that season. He was fired in 2018 after a 0-6 start and reported disagreements with management and LeBron James.

Could Monty Williams be the next coach of the Bucks?

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Williams just guided the Suns to a 45-37 record. They won their first-round series against the Clippers before being eliminated by the No. 1 seed Denver Nuggets in the second round.

It was a disappointing finish to a team that was made the title favorite after trading for Kevin Durant during the season.

The Suns were without guard Chris Paul and center DeAndre Ayton in parts of their playoff run. Devin Booker was also injured for part of the season, as was Durant.

The Suns may not be ready to part ways with Williams yet. He led them to the NBA Finals in 2021. He also led them to the best record in the West last season.