After three seasons, Doc Rivers is out as the Milwaukee Bucks’ head coach. Back in January 2024, he was hired by Milwaukee to replace former head coach Adrian Griffin.
However, since Rivers started coaching the team, the Bucks headed in the wrong direction. In Rivers’ first season with Milwaukee, the team faced a first-round exit against the Indiana Pacers in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. The following year, it happened again (against the same team). Now, Rivers is moving on, but he may transition to a new role in the organization.
Doc Rivers Will No Longer Coach the Bucks
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Rivers is departing as the team’s head coach. Prior to that report, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto stated that this season would likely be Rivers’ final year as the Bucks’ head coach, so this doesn’t come as much of a surprise.
“Instead, there’s a belief that Rivers could pivot to an undetermined role in Milwaukee’s front office,” Scotto reported.
Rivers has also floated the possibility of retiring. When asked how much longer he wants to coach, he told Scotto: “I won’t answer that, but I have grandkids that I want to see. I’ll put it that way. I’ll let you figure it out from there. I have seven grandkids now, and they’re all eight years and under, and it kills me every time I miss Grandparents’ Day with each one of them in school. It’s probably time to go see them more, so I’ll let you figure out the rest.”
Regardless of whether Rivers retires or moves into the front office, Scotto reports that Taylor Jenkins and James Borrego will be top candidates for Milwaukee’s head coach opening.
MORE: Doc Rivers Gets Brutally Honest About Bucks’ Roster As Giannis Antetokounmpo Seeks 2nd NBA Title
Jenkins is currently a free agent coach. He was previously the Memphis Grizzlies’ head coach before getting fired on March 28. Back in the 2018-19 season, Jenkins was actually on Milwaukee’s coaching staff.
“Taylor Jenkins will almost assuredly draw interest from Milwaukee if their head coaching job becomes available,” Scotto wrote. “Jenkins will arguably be the most sought-after coach on the market and was previously an assistant coach under Mike Budenholzer when the Bucks advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2019.”
Meanwhile, Borrego is currently the interim head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans. If Borrego becomes a free agent coach this summer, the Bucks are expected to express interest. He previously interviewed for Milwaukee’s head-coach opening in 2023. Ultimately, Milwaukee decided to hire Griffin instead, but perhaps this could be Borrego’s chance to help reshape the Bucks.
The Bucks have a lot to figure out this offseason after a terrible year. Milwaukee will have some tough decisions to make when it comes to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the roster.
