Bucks Notes: Rivers, Shams, Giannis, Green, More
Before Doc Rivers and the Bucks officially announced on Monday that he won’t be returning as the team’s head coach for 2026/27, Rivers claimed during an appearance on the Run it Back show on FanDuel TV (Twitter video link) that ESPN’s Shams Charania got upset about Rivers joking prior to All-Star weekend that Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the captains for the celebrity game, should “trade” Charania.
“Shams took that so personal that he actually called the Bucks and yelled at them to take (the clip) down,” Rivers said, laughing and describing ESPN’s top NBA insider as “emotional.”
Rivers added that he heard from “10 different people” after that incident who told him that Charania would publish a “revenge article” on Rivers and the Bucks, which is how the veteran coach explained last week’s ESPN report that included several behind-the-scenes details from anonymous sources on a dysfunctional season in Milwaukee.
“I just report the news and the truth can hurt sometimes,” Charania said during a Monday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show (Twitter video links). “… If (the Bucks) spent as much time dealing with their own internal problems as they did responding to accurate reports, they wouldn’t be in the mess that they’re in right now. … I’m just here to document and cover it the right way.”
Here’s more on the Bucks:
- Eric Nehm of The Athletic shares his own reporting on a disappointing Bucks season, citing multiple league sources who say that Rivers told several veteran players following a March 21 shootaround in Phoenix that he thought they’d “failed him.” The coach also questioned their “commitment, conditioning, focus, and leadership,” according to Nehm, who said those vets didn’t take kindly to Rivers’ remarks. “That’s when I checked out on this season,” one player told The Athletic.
- In an interview with Mark Medina of EssentiallySports, Bucks broadcaster Marques Johnson said that the Antetokounmpo saga in Milwaukee – including a disagreement between the star forward and the team about his health – is “as toxic as it appears,” referring to it as a “bad situation.”
- Identifying a few potential candidates for the Bucks’ newly opened head coaching position, Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel mentions a couple names that have been previously reported – former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins and current Bucks assistant Darvin Ham – and adds two more to the list: Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney and Heat assistant Chris Quinn. Sweeney is a former Bucks assistant who formed a strong bond with Antetokounmpo, Owczarski notes, while Milwaukee received permission to interview Quinn in the past.
- Antetokounmpo’s future and the head coaching search are the focus of Bobby Marks’ Bucks offseason preview at ESPN.com, but Marks also examines the team’s cap situation and its tradable assets, and suggests Milwaukee needs to find a lead guard and establish an identity on defense after plummeting to 26th in the NBA in defensive rating in 2025/26.
- Fourth-year sharpshooter A.J. Green, whose four-year, $45MM extension will begin in 2026/27, set a new franchise record by making 11 three-pointers in the Bucks’ regular season finale on Sunday. Steve Megargee of The Associated Press has the story.
Numerous Teams Considering Coaching Changes
The NBA’s coaching carousel has already started spinning with Doc Rivers‘ decision to step down from the Bucks, and Michael Scotto of HoopsHype suggests it could be an active offseason throughout the league on that front.
Milwaukee has a potential replacement on hand in lead assistant Darvin Ham, but sources tell Scotto the Pelicans could also have interest in Ham if they decide not to retain interim head coach James Borrego, echoing recent reporting from Jake Fischer.
Former Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins may be the top name on the market and is expected to draw interest from the Bucks, Scotto confirms. Jenkins previously served as an assistant under Mike Budenholzer in Milwaukee.
Scotto states that Borrego could also emerge as a candidate for the Bucks if New Orleans decides to move on, noting that he interviewed with the organization before it hired Adrian Griffin in 2023.
Scotto shares more coaching and front office rumors from around the NBA:
- The Bulls are hoping to hold onto coach Billy Donovan after upending their front office last week. Scotto believes Donovan may have some interest in taking over the Magic if they decide to fire Jamahl Mosley, pointing out that Orlando hired Donovan in 2007 before he changed his mind a few days later and decided to remain at Florida. Scotto cites Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd as a potential front office addition in Chicago, noting that Lloyd began his career with the Bulls. He also points to CAA’s Austin Brown as a possibility if the organization wants to make a run at one of the top agents in the business.
- Jenkins and Tom Thibodeau could also be options for the Magic if they make a coaching move, according to Scotto. Borrego, a former assistant in Orlando, may emerge as another possibility. Sources tell Scotto that Michael Malone had been considered throughout the league as a potential candidate for the Magic before he accepted a job with North Carolina.
- The Pelicans will consider keeping Borrego, but sources tell Scotto that Ham and Kevin Ollie will also be in the mix, while Mosley has “several admirers” in New Orleans and could be among the leading candidates for the position if he becomes available. Scotto also points out that Ham worked with Pelicans executive vice president of basketball 0perations Joe Dumars for two years in Detroit, while Ollie interviewed for the head coaching job when New Orleans general manager Troy Weaver was running the Pistons.
- Steve Kerr and the Warriors will discuss their future this summer, Scotto hears. Stephen Curry remains a huge advocate for Kerr and wants them to finish their careers together, but Kerr is the league’s highest-paid coach and there are concerns about burn-out after a difficult season.
- Interim head coach Tiago Splitter will be a candidate to remain with the Trail Blazers after leading the team to the eighth seed in the West, but several top assistant coaches throughout the league and some college coaches will also be considered, sources tell Scotto.
- Wizards coach Brian Keefe still has strong support from his front office, but Scotto’s sources say his future is “undecided” as the organization hopes to transform into a playoff contender next season.
- The Hawks‘ late-season surge could result in an extension for coach Quin Snyder, according to Scotto.
Doc Rivers Will Not Return As Bucks’ Coach
APRIL 13: The move is official, the Bucks announced Monday morning (Twitter link).
“I have truly loved my time in Milwaukee,” Rivers said in a statement. “Coming back to where I got my start, to a city that has always embraced me, has been a privilege. I am disappointed that things did not turn out the way any of us hoped, but I am deeply grateful for this experience, the relationships built and unwavering support from our fans and the community. Milwaukee will always mean a lot to me, and this chapter will hold a special place in my heart.”
APRIL 12: Doc Rivers will not be the Bucks‘ head coach next season, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link), who reports that Rivers is departing his role.
Echoing prior reporting, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype says the expectation around the league is that Rivers could join the Bucks’ front office in a role that has yet to be determined.
Following a three-year stint in Philadelphia from 2020-23, Rivers was hired by the Bucks during the 2023/24 season to replace Adrian Griffin. He compiled a 97-103 record (.487) across two-and-a-half seasons in Milwaukee, leading the team to two playoff appearances. The club went 3-8 in the postseason under Rivers and didn’t get out of the first round.
While ill-timed injuries to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard played a role in the Bucks’ lack of playoff success in 2024 and 2025, the team was never close to making the postseason this year. Milwaukee finished the season with a 32-50 record, its worst mark since the 2013/14 season.
A longtime coach who won a title in Boston and had a winning record on the sidelines for the Magic, Clippers, and Sixers, Rivers compiled a 2,059-1,195 regular season mark (.580) over the course of 27 seasons as an NBA head coach. He will be enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame later this year as a member of the class of 2026.
As Charania notes (via Twitter), Rivers had one more year remaining on his contract, so Milwaukee will be on the hook for his 2026/27 salary. The Bucks will now embark upon a search for his replacement, with former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins expected to be a prominent target.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Doesn’t Rule Out Extension With Bucks
With the Bucks‘ season officially over, the focus can fully turn toward Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s future, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Big changes appear to be on the horizon in Milwaukee, starting with Doc Rivers’ revelation Sunday night that he won’t be returning as head coach. An Antetokounmpo trade is also expected at some point during the offseason, but nothing is set in stone.
Antetokounmpo will become eligible on October 1 to sign a four-year, maximum-salary extension, which provides a powerful financial incentive to extend his time with the Bucks. He will earn $58.5MM next season and holds a $62.8MM player option for 2027/28, enabling him to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, so the odds of a trade will increase dramatically if he informs the organization that he won’t accept an extension.
Antetokounmpo didn’t provide much clarity about his future in a session with reporters Sunday night.
“That’s a very good question,” he replied when asked if he has already played his last game in a Milwaukee uniform. “I don’t know. It’s not up to me. We’ll see.”
Antetokounmpo has been open about his desire to win another championship and didn’t hide his frustration with the Bucks’ 32-50 campaign, Bontemps adds. He stated that the team is as far away from title contention as it’s been at any point in his 13-year career and addressed communication issues that have clouded the season.
“I feel like sometimes people just don’t listen,” he said. “They listen to the sources. The main source is me. It is what it is. So again, do not disturb on my phone, go about my day, improve, and come back better.”
Antetokounmpo has been in a public dispute with the team over whether he was healthy enough to return from a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise that he suffered on March 15. The NBA launched an investigation into the disagreement, as Antetokounmpo insisted that he wanted to play again, while the Bucks contend he never fully healed and wasn’t being totally sincere in his public statements.
Antetokounmpo told reporters on Sunday that he had “zero control” over the situation, but emphasized that he did everything the team asked him to, including participating in three-on-three scrimmages “multiple times.”
“I don’t know who said that, who came up with that, but that’s disrespectful towards what I’ve done for this team and the way I carry myself my whole career, pretty much,” he said. “But I did what I was supposed to do. I wasn’t able to come on the court now. Who has that say? It probably comes from my boss, probably comes from the members of the front office or the owners. So, I thought I had control, kind of like, ‘OK, if I’m healthy, I’m going to play.’ But this shows me that not just me, just players in general, don’t have no control. We got to do what we’ve been told. So, to answer your question, no. I didn’t feel like I had control.”
In an interview last month, team co-owner Wes Edens indicated that Antetokounmpo will either be extended or traded during the offseason. On Sunday, Antetokounmpo didn’t dismiss the idea of accepting the extension, pointing out that the decision is months away and saying he’ll “try to make the best decision for me and my family.” But he also stressed that the team is very far away from where he expected it to be.
“I didn’t think we’re going to be in this position last year, so I don’t know what position we’re going to be next year,” he added. “So, if everything goes well, hopefully, the Bucks want me here, why not? But if they don’t? OK.”
Central Notes: Rivers, Buzelis, Donovan, Furphy
With Doc Rivers not returning next season as head coach of the Bucks, the team will face some significant questions beyond the status of star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
While there has been speculation that Rivers could move into a front office position with the team, it appears that the idea of taking a step away from the NBA for a while could be attractive to the 64-year-old Hall of Famer, according to Eric Nehm and Sam Amick of The Athletic. Rivers alluded to that possibility after Sunday’s regular season finale when he was asked about his future.
“I can tell you we’re all on the same page,” Rivers said. “We’ve talked about it, and we want it out pretty quick. I just want them to do it, it’s better. But I think you guys pretty much know.”
Rivers is disappointed with how his tenure with the Bucks played out, but said he enjoyed the challenges presented by the team in its various forms during his time in Milwaukee.
“We could have had better health. We could have had all kinds of things,” he said. “I’m not a big guy at looking back. All you can do is look forward. We did a lot of things to improve a lot of the young guys. Unfortunately, that was the road that kind of presented itself for us, and we did that.”
We have more from around the Central Division:
- Matas Buzelis, who missed the Bulls‘ season finale with an ankle injury, is already looking ahead to his offseason work and proving the team that he’s a foundational piece worth building around, Joe Cowley writes for the Chicago Sun-Times. “I know this summer I am going to work my butt off,” Buzelis said. “The whole summer, it’s going to be a hard summer for me. Getting my body stronger and sharpening pretty much everything. But mainly the body part, the shot, the handle, just everything. The main thing will be [adding] the strength.”
- Head coach Billy Donovan wants to sit down with the Bulls to discuss what he considers to be a pivot point in the franchise’s trajectory, Christian Clark writes for The Athletic. “[Team president Michael Reinsdorf] said he wants to build something that’s sustainable,” Donovan said. “I agree with that. It needs to be something that’s going to be long-term.” Donovan has his young star forward’s support. “I want him to stay,” Buzelis said of his coach. “I’m riding with him forever.”
- Second-year Pacers forward Johnny Furphy is now nearly seven weeks removed from ACL surgery and has hit some important milestones recently, according to Scott Agness of the Fieldhouse Files (Twitter link). “Just got off crutches. That was a big milestone for me,” he said. “I’m moving around a lot more now without crutches. So it’s been a big week for me.”
Ten Postseason Seeds Up For Grabs On Final Day Of Regular Season
While we’ve known which 20 NBA teams will be competing in the 2025/26 postseason for some time, 10 seeds are still in flux entering April 12, the final day of the 2025/26 regular season. Most importantly, three Eastern Conference teams are still vying for the final guaranteed playoff spot ahead of Sunday’s slate of games, which will see all 30 teams take the floor.
Here are the current playoff and play-in standings in both conferences, as well as where each team could finish, per the league (Twitter links).
Eastern Conference:
- Detroit Pistons (59-22)
- Boston Celtics (55-26)
- New York Knicks (53-28)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (51-30)
- Atlanta Hawks (46-35) — fifth or sixth
- Toronto Raptors (45-36) — fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth
- Orlando Magic (45-36) — sixth, seventh or eighth
- Philadelphia 76ers (44-37) — sixth, seventh or eighth
- Charlotte Hornets (43-38) — ninth or 10th
- Miami Heat (42-39) — ninth or 10th
Western Conference:
- Oklahoma City Thunder (64-17)
- San Antonio Spurs (62-19)
- Denver Nuggets (53-28) — third or fourth
- Los Angeles Lakers (52-29) — third or fourth
- Houston Rockets (51-30)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (48-33)
- Phoenix Suns (44-37)
- Portland Trail Blazers (41-40) — eighth or ninth
- Los Angeles Clippers (41-40) — eighth or ninth
- Golden State Warriors (37-44)
Notes: Teams in bold are locked in to their current seeds. A top-six seed ensures a guaranteed playoff spot, while the Nos. 7-10 teams will compete in the play-in tournament to determine the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference.
The most critical matchup Sunday is Brooklyn at Toronto. If the Raptors win, they can finish no worse than sixth place, securing the final guaranteed playoff berth.
The Hawks have ruled out most of their top players ahead of Sunday’s game at the Heat after securing a guaranteed playoff spot on Friday, tweets Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks. That matters for Miami, because if they beat Atlanta and the Hornets lose at New York, the Heat would move ahead of Charlotte due to a head-to-head tiebreaker. That said, the Knicks will be playing without four of their five starters tonight, and if the Hornets win, they stay at No. 9.
It would be shocking if the Raptors don’t win Sunday, since the tanking Nets have already ruled out nine players (a 10th is doubtful) and have an incentive to lose the game. We’ll get more into that shortly.
Still, if the Raptors do lose Sunday’s game, it opens the door for the Magic or Sixers to move up to No. 6. A Raptors loss combined with a Magic win at Boston — the Celtics are likely to be without their top-seven rotation members — would see Orlando earn the guaranteed playoff berth. The 76ers, who face Milwaukee, need to win and need Toronto and Orlando to lose to move up two spots.
If the Hawks, Raptors, Magic and Sixers all win, they will finish where they currently are in the standings.
In the West, the scenarios are more straightforward. If the Nuggets win at San Antonio, they stay at No. 3. If they lose and the Lakers beat the Jazz, Denver and Los Angeles will switch places in the standings.
The Trail Blazers hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Clippers, so if they beat Sacramento tonight they will finish No. 8. The Clippers could move up if they beat Golden State and Portland loses to the Kings.
Lottery odds and traded draft picks
At the other end of the standings, the Wizards (17-64) have clinched the worst record in the league and thus have the top draft-lottery floor, notes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Washington has a 52.1% chance at landing a top-four pick in the 2026 draft lottery and 47.9% odds at No. 5, which is the worst selection the team can end up with.
The Pacers (19-62) and Nets (20-61) are also guaranteed to finish with bottom-three records and will have identical 52.1% odds at moving into the top four, including a 14.0% chance at No. 1 overall. If the Nets lose this evening and the Pacers beat Detroit, the two teams would tie and a coin flip would determine which team has the second-best lottery floor. The winner of the coin flip can finish no worse than sixth in the draft lottery, while the loser can finish no worse than seventh.
The Clippers will be hoping the Pacers lose tonight, since Indiana will send its 2026 first-round pick to L.A. if it lands outside the top four. The Pacers will retain the pick if it stays in its protected range (top four).
Several other lottery situations are still in flux entering Sunday. The Jazz and Kings are currently tied for the fourth-worst record (22-59), the Grizzlies and Mavericks are tied for the sixth-worst record (25-56), and the Pelicans (26-55) have a chance at making the latter situation a three-way tie. The Hawks will be hoping the Pelicans lose and Grizzlies and Mavericks win, since they control the better of New Orleans’ or Milwaukee’s first-rounders.
Utah will send its first-round pick to the Thunder if it’s not in the top eight. But even if the Jazz finish with the NBA’s fifth-worst record (or finish tied for the fourth-worst record and lose a coin flip), the odds of their pick landing at No. 9 would be minuscule (0.6%).
There’s a chance the Bulls (31-50) and Bucks (32-49) could have a coin flip for the ninth and tenth spots. It would require Chicago to win at Dallas and Milwaukee to lose at Philadelphia.
The four other lottery teams will be the four clubs that are eliminated in the play-in tournament.
Projected NBA Taxpayers For 2025/26
As we outlined in February, a total of 14 teams projected to be taxpayers prior to an eventful trade deadline week, with the 16 non-taxpayers on track to receive about $13.8MM apiece in tax distribution money at that point.
However, the Celtics, Nuggets, Suns, Mavericks, Sixers, Magic, and Raptors all ducked below the luxury tax line with their pre-deadline transactions, while a few other teams remained in the tax but took steps to significantly reduce their end-of-season bills.
As a result, seven NBA teams project to finish over the luxury tax line in 2025/26, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link).
Here are those seven clubs, along with their projected tax penalties:
- Cleveland Cavaliers ($68.7MM)
- Golden State Warriors ($67.9MM) *
- New York Knicks ($44.4MM)
- Los Angeles Lakers ($22.2MM) *
- Houston Rockets ($7.2MM)
- Los Angeles Clippers ($6.7MM) *
- Minnesota Timberwolves ($6MM)
Total: $223.1MM
Note: Teams marked with an asterisk are paying repeater tax rates.
While the projected tax payments are quite similar to the ones from a couple months ago, the total is up slightly overall. That’s because the Warriors, Rockets and Timberwolves signed players to fill out the back ends of their rosters. The Lakers will undoubtedly finalize their roster today — they have one standard opening ahead of Sunday’s deadline.
Based on the current figures from Marks, each non-taxpayer is projected to receive a payout of about $4.9MM. That figure is determined by cutting the total league-wide tax penalties in half, then dividing them evenly among the non-taxpaying teams (in this case, 23 clubs). The projected payout was at $4.8MM in February.
In 2024/25, 10 taxpayers paid a total of $461.2MM in penalties and the 20 non-taxpayers reportedly received $11.5MM apiece. This season’s projected distribution payment of $4.9MM is the lowest figure since 2020/21, according to Marks.
It’s worth noting that the tax penalties could still change again before the 2025/26 league year ends. According to Marks (Twitter links), 36 players had a total of 133 different incentives in their contracts entering the fall, and 15 of those bonuses are still up in the air entering the final day of the regular season. Some of those bonus situations may not be resolved until the playoffs end.
The Warriors, Lakers, and Clippers would all be subject to repeater penalties in 2026/27 if they’re taxpayers again next season. Additionally, the Bucks, Celtics, Suns, and Nuggets would pay repeater rates if they’re in the tax in ’26/27, since all four clubs were in the tax for three straight years from 2023-25. They’ll each need to spend one more season as a non-taxpayer in order to reset the repeater clock.
Nets Notes: Claxton, Fernandez, Giannis, Draft
After winning 26 games a year ago, the Nets will enter the final weekend of the 2025/26 season with a 20-60 record, their worst mark in a decade. All of that losing has taken a mental toll, starting center Nic Claxton admits, but the 26-year-old is trying to find the silver linings in a challenging year and is hoping better things are in store for the team beginning in ’26/27, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post.
“You can’t let it affect your preparation and your mindset. Even this year I struggled with that some. Going into games you have to go in with the mindset, ‘OK, we’re going to win this game,'” Claxton said. “But as far as wins and losses, I get what (head coach) Jordi (Fernandez) is saying. It doesn’t always come with the scoreboard. It can be seeing our rookies go out and spread their wings and gain confidence. … It can be me maturing and finding that peace within myself no matter what’s going on out there on the court. … Then next year hopefully we get some more actual wins.”
Claxton, who has averaged 11.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and a career-high 3.7 assists in 27.8 minutes per game across 69 outings this season, has missed the past three games due to a right fifth finger sprain and may not play again this spring. Although he underwent an MRI on that finger this week, the big man is optimistic that the injury won’t require surgery, Lewis tweets.
“No, I don’t think so,” Claxton said. “Give it some time to rest. I think it’ll heal up. Not trying to have any procedures.”
Here are a few more notes on the Nets:
- Fernandez’s career winning percentage as a head coach has dropped to .284 (46-116) as a result of Brooklyn’s poor season, but he said this week that he appreciates the trust the organization has placed in him and that holding one of the NBA’s 30 head coaching job is “very special” for him. “This job means a lot to me and my family,” Fernandez said, per C.J. Holmes of The New York Daily News, adding that Brooklyn is “home for us and will be home forever.” The second-year coach is hopeful he’ll get the opportunity to lead the team out of its rebuild and back towards contention. “My goal is not just to keep it but help the organization with the plan that we have and build success and sustain it,” he said. “Good things are going to happen in the long run.”
- The Nets weren’t among the teams pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo ahead of February’s trade deadline, but they may be in better position to explore a trade for the Bucks star this summer, Lewis writes for the New York Post. Brooklyn’s front office has long viewed Antetokounmpo as its “white whale,” says Lewis, and the team wants to become more competitive beginning in 2026/27. “They’ll make calls (on the biggest stars),” one source told The Post. “They’ve made calls in the past.”
- The draft lottery reform measures the NBA is considering implementing may benefit the Nets, who have stockpiled a surplus of future first-round picks to supplement their own selections, but the concepts reported so far look like shortsighted solutions that will have problematic unintended consequences, Lewis argues in another story for the Post.
Bucks GM Jon Horst Talks Offseason, Rivers, More
Speaking to local reporters Eric Nehm of The Athletic and Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (subscription required), Bucks general manager Jon Horst said he hasn’t yet committed to taking any specific path with the roster or with superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason.
Although Bucks co-owner Wes Edens suggested last month that Antetokounmpo would be either extended or traded within the next year, Horst told Nehm and Owczarski that those are “not actually the only two doors” available and that he’s keeping an open mind as he approaches the offseason.
“The truth is I don’t know. We don’t know what we’re going to do today, and we don’t have to,” Horst said. “What I do think we have to do is be very honest, very direct, make a big assessment. We learned a lot this year. It’s a pretty great opportunity. Of course, I’d rather be in the playoffs and be planning for whoever we’re going to play, but we’re not. So, what can we learn from it and figure out how do we get to where we want to get as quick as we can.”
Horst pointed out that the Bucks will have three tradable first-round picks (2026, 2031, and 2033) this summer, including a potential top-10 selection in June’s draft, and will have some cap flexibility, with movable contracts on their books. According to the Bucks’ GM, while trading Antetokounmpo and embarking in a new direction is one route the team could take, he believes hanging onto Giannis and using those draft assets in trades to improve the roster is also a path he’s empowered to go down.
“I do, yeah. Absolutely,” Horst said. “And not only just from my perspective, but I also believe from Giannis’ mindset and his perspective. Whether we need ‘couples therapy’ or whatever, the assets will still be there. I do feel empowered that, yeah, those things are both viable things for us to look at and consider.”
Here are a few more notes from Horst’s interview with local media:
- Asked about Antetokounmpo’s injury recovery, Horst reiterated that the two-time MVP has yet to be medically cleared, despite Giannis’ belief that he’s healthy enough to play. “He’s not cleared to play yet in a game and we’re going to continue to evaluate it,” the GM said, per Nehm. “I don’t know what the outcome in that world will be, but the only lens has been to make our best professional judgment for him and for us. And it has nothing to do with draft picks. It has nothing to do with tanking. It has everything to do with the health of the player.”
- Horst believes the Bucks would have been far more competitive this season if not for the injury issues that plagued Antetokounmpo and starting point guard Kevin Porter Jr. “I’m not making excuses. I’m not saying this was a perfectly built team,” Horst said. “We might have overcalculated or miscalculated on whatever, but I do know that — and you’re probably like, ‘OK, Jon, we’ve heard it before,’ but it’s true — we have two of the top 20 lineups in the NBA in net rating and the best offensive lineup in the NBA with a real sample size.”
- Horst insists that Doc Rivers did an “incredible” job this season amid difficult circumstances, adding that the the veteran head coach has been an “unbelievable partner” since arriving in Milwaukee. However, he declined to comment on whether Rivers will be the Bucks’ head coach in 2026/27. “I don’t know the outcome; we’re gonna figure it all out,” Horst said. “I think we’ll figure it all out pretty quickly and what that looks like going forward.”
- According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Rivers isn’t likely to walk away from the guaranteed money left on his contract, but transitioning to a different role within the organization is a possibility. League sources tell Amick that Rivers is expected to meet with Horst and team ownership soon to discuss the future.
Coaching Rumors: Jenkins, Wizards, Mosley, Pelicans, Kerr, More
There wasn’t a whole lot of NBA head coaching turnover last spring, when several teams retained coaches who had previously had interim tags and only the Suns and Knicks made new hires. There haven’t been many changes since then either, with only New Orleans having made an in-season change, though Portland was also forced to elevate assistant Tiago Splitter after Chauncey Billups was arrested in October.
The expectation is that a relatively quiet 12 months on the coaching market could result in an eventful few weeks once the regular season ends, writes Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).
“There’s going to be eight to 12 (coaching changes),” one source predicted to Fischer.
With several head coaching jobs expected to open up this spring, Fischer identifies a few candidates to monitor for those openings, naming current assistants Sean Sweeney (Spurs), Micah Nori (Timberwolves), Jared Dudley (Nuggets), Dave Bliss (Thunder), Chris Quinn (Heat), Royal Ivey (Rockets), and Luke Walton (Pistons).
Here are several more coaching-related rumors from Fischer:
- Confirming that Taylor Jenkins is a potential target to watch for the Bucks if they part ways with Doc Rivers, Fischer says there have been “whispers for months” that the Wizards would also have interest in Jenkins if they decide to move on from Brian Keefe. It’s unclear at this point if Washington intends to bring back Keefe for another season as the team aims to take a step toward contention in 2026/27. “It’s very difficult for any young coach to survive a years-long rebuild and (then) oversee a dramatic cultural shift of losing to competing,” one general manager told The Stein Line.
- If the Magic let go of Jamahl Mosley, he’s expected to draw interest from New Orleans, according to Fischer, who says Pelicans general manager Joe Dumars is a fan. James Borrego is also expected to receive consideration for the permanent job in New Orleans, Fischer notes, adding that Bucks assistant Darvin Ham is another candidate to watch if the team conducts a full-fledged search.
- While it’s too early to say what will happen with Steve Kerr, Fischer has heard that the Warriors would ideally like to sign the veteran coach for more than a single season if he decides to return, since team officials would prefer to avoid a “Last Dance scenario,” if possible. Stephen Curry‘s current contract expires in 2027, as does Jimmy Butler‘s. Draymond Green‘s would too if he exercises his 2026/27 player option.
- The Kings are still evaluating Doug Christie‘s performance and are taking into account that injuries decimated his roster this season, Fischer writes. Christie has one more guaranteed year left on his contract (with a 2027/28 team option) and it’s not impossible that he’ll return for next season, Fischer adds.
- Although the Trail Blazers discussed a potential extension for Splitter at one point, per Fischer, the acting head coach’s future is up in the air with new owner Tom Dundon taking over the franchise. Dundon has talked about evaluating every aspect of the organization. That includes its head coach and its front office, according to Fischer, who suggests that changes in the basketball operations department are possible. For what it’s worth, Dundon said recently that general manager Joe Cronin’s job status is “solid.”