The Milwaukee Bucks have fired coach Mike Budenholzer after the East’s top seed suffered a first-round playoff loss to the Miami Heat.
“The decision to make this change was very difficult,” Bucks general manager Jon Horst said in a statement Thursday. “Bud helped lead our team for five incredible seasons, to the Bucks’ first title in 50 years, and into an era of sustained success. We are grateful for the culture of winning and leadership that Bud helped create in Milwaukee.
“This is an opportunity for us to refocus and reenergize our efforts as we continue building toward our next championship season.”
Budenholzer had two years left on his deal worth approximately $16 million, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Bucks won 58 games under Budenholzer during the 2022-23 season and entered the 2023 playoffs as the NBA’s No. 1 overall seed but fell in the first round to the No. 8 seed Heat in five games, becoming only the sixth 1-seed in NBA history to lose to an 8-seed.
Budenholzer is just the fourth coach in the past 50 seasons to lead his team to the best record in the NBA and not return the following season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, joining Mike Brown (2009-10 Cleveland Cavaliers), Phil Jackson (1997-98 Chicago Bulls) and Pat Riley (1989-90 Los Angeles Lakers).
Budenholzer’s decision-making during the Heat series came under question when the Bucks squandered double-digit leads in Games 4 and 5. In Game 5, Milwaukee had a pair of opportunities to win the game on the final possessions of the fourth quarter and overtime, but Budenholzer elected not to use his final timeouts in either scenario.
Budenholzer acknowledged after Game 5 that he should have called a timeout to advance the ball at the end of the fourth quarter, but he also did not call a timeout before the final possession in overtime, and the Bucks never got a final shot off before their season ended.
Heat star Jimmy Butler delivered an all-time playoff performance — averaging 37.6 points on 59.7% shooting — but Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was critical of the team’s lack of adjustments to try to slow him down, saying he wished he had more reps defending Butler.
“Out of respect, you’ve got to let the coach make the adjustment,” Antetokounmpo said after Game 5. “At the end of the day, I wish I could’ve guarded [Butler] more.”
During Budenholzer’s tenure, the Bucks transformed into a perennial contender and in the 2021 NBA Finals won the franchise’s first championship in 50 years.