Though Kevin Ollie is now temporarily steering their ship as the interim mentor, the Brooklyn Nets' head coaching gig still stands coveted and up for grabs.
While there has been a bias that the team's newest play-caller will be an experienced one considering its contention stance, HoopsHype's Mike Scotto revealed that Mike Budenholzer is the most prominent candidate being linked by several anonymous executives for the Nets' coaching opening.
“However, in talking with many rival executives around the league and other sources, there’s a belief that a former head coach would most likely make sense if you’re trying to retool instead of rebuild. Mike Budenholzer is the name at the tip of everyone’s tongue when discussing potential Nets coaching candidates due to his Spurs tree connection, winning a championship, and he’s arguably the most notable name on the market.”
Bud’s head coaching background
Budenholzer, 54, notably served as the Milwaukee Bucks' head coach for five seasons (2018-2023). Throughout the stretch, the franchise boasted a winning record and has been a postseason powerhouse in which his guidance led them to the 2021 NBA championship.
He previously served as the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks as well from 2013 to 2018. Before that, he was an assistant and a coaching protégé of Gregg Popovich in the San Antonio Spurs for nearly two decades.
Widely viewed as the current best available tactician for a service, Bud holds a 484-317 regular season head coaching record (.604% win percentage) throughout his entire career.
Nets potential push to hire Bud as HC: TBD
In the wake of the Nets' desire to continue competing regardless of what happens at the end of this season, Bud stands as the best man for the job as he holds the coaching ability and experience to guide a contending team. His positive coaching win rate already speaks volumes about how capable he is to take the lead and potentially lift the Nets to the next level.
And as it is, tracing back their time in San Antonio, Bud also holds significant ties with general manager Sean Marks. He is also fondly familiar with Dennis Schroder, as they shared five seasons of partnership in Atlanta.
But with Ollie now having a shot at the helm as the interim coach for the rest of the season, the Nets can only adopt a wait-and-see mode for now and then evaluate their coaching spot depending on what would unfold in the next 28 games to come.
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