MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks are facing a monumental offseason as the organization searches for its fourth head coach in the last five seasons.
A few names are already circulating for the position, including Taylor Jenkins, Sean Sweeney and Chris Quinn. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel columnist Lori Nickel said all three could be a good fit.
Watch: Who are the Bucks considering for their next head coach and will Giannis Antetokounmpo have a say in the hire?
"All three of them have their strengths that would be really beneficial to the Bucks, but what's really important is that Doc Rivers and Adrian Griffin are still on the payroll, so the Bucks have to get this one right when they name their next coach," Nickel said.
Bucks General Manager Jon Horst is familiar with several of the candidates.
"Taylor Jenkins was hired at Memphis right out of his tenure here with the Milwaukee Bucks," Nickel said. "He spent one season in Milwaukee as an assistant coach under Mike Budenholzer."
Sweeney is also someone Horst knows very well. Sweeney played for a season at UW-Green Bay and spent time in Milwaukee.
When evaluating Quinn, Sweeney and Jenkins, Nickel says availability will be a key factor.
"Two of those three coaches will probably be available in the next week or so," Nickel said. "The Heat are just playing a play-in game. Whereas Sweeney is with the Spurs and the Spurs have 62 wins on the season. They have a number two seed. They may play deep into the playoffs and that could stretch out the coaching search for the Bucks."
The head coaching search is also intertwined with the future of Giannis Antetokounmpo.
"It's going to be really complicated," Nickel said. "I don't think the Bucks have to have an answer from Giannis by the Draft. The NBA Draft is June 23, and they don't necessarily have to have an inkling from him about what he wants to do."
Instead, Nickel says Antetokounmpo may be waiting to see how the organization navigates the draft.
"I think Giannis wants to see what the Bucks do with the Draft and how much they can maximize their pick, which the top 10 or the top 12," Nickel said.
While some believe Antetokounmpo acts as a "puppet master" behind the scenes, Nickel noted he does not affect things as much as people think. However, Nickel says his voice is important following a tumultuous season where he expressed unhappiness with a lack of communication from higher-ups in Milwaukee.
Nickel added that it is unclear how much of an opportunity Antetokounmpo will get to discuss his wishes or influence the process. In the past, Nickel said Horst and Antetokounmpo have discussed candidates and roster moves, and Horst widely seeks opinions throughout the organization, including from other players.
"I think Giannis has to really come clean and express himself clearly, just to give himself the best position to go forward," Nickel said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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