Getty Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr looks on during Game 1 of his team's first-round playoff series against the Sacramento Kings.
The Golden State Warriors‘ bench has long been packed with talent, and not just when it comes to the players.
Former assistant head coach Mike Brown just won the NBA Coach of the Year Award by unanimous decision after leading the Sacramento Kings to the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference and a seven-game first round playoff loss to the Dubs. Now, a contender out of the Eastern Conference is seriously considering snapping up Steve Kerr’s other top assistant, Kenny Atkinson, to be its new head coach, per a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
“The Milwaukee Bucks were granted permission to interview Golden State Warriors associate head coach Kenny Atkinson for the franchise’s head-coaching job,” Wojnarowski wrote on Wednesday, May 10.
“The Bucks are searching to replace Mike Budenholzer, who was fired after the team was upset in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs as the No. 1 seed,” Wojnarowski continued. “Budenholzer won the 2021 NBA championship and left with nearly a .700 regular season winning percentage.”
Several NBA Teams Have Expressed Interest in Dubs’ Coach Kenny Atkinson
GettyAssociate head coach Kenny Atkinson (left) and head coach Steve Kerr (right) of the Golden State Warriors stand on the sidelines during an NBA game against the Boston Celtics.
Milwaukee isn’t the first NBA franchise to come calling since Atkinson joined the Warriors’ staff two years ago.
The Charlotte Hornets offered Atkinson their head coaching position during the NBA Finals last year, a series in which the Warriors ultimately defeated the Boston Celtics in six games to capture the title. However, Atkinson backed out of the Charlotte job and returned to the Bay Area after it appeared as though he was headed to the Hornets.
ESPN Sources: Kenny Atkinson has decided he won’t become the Charlotte Hornets’ head coach and will remain with Golden State as top assistant. After being offered job during the NBA Finals, further conversations led Atkinson to believe it would be best to remain with Warriors.
“ESPN Sources: Kenny Atkinson has decided he won’t become the Charlotte Hornets’ head coach and will remain with Golden State as top assistant,” Wojnarowski reported via Twitter on June 18, 2022. “After being offered job during the NBA Finals, further conversations led Atkinson to believe it would be best to remain with Warriors.”
Bucks Can Offer Warriors’ Coach Kenny Atkinson Better Situation Than Hornets
GettyFormer Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson gives direction from the sideline during an NBA game against the Charlotte Hornets.
Whatever mystery factor it was that brought Atkinson back from the brink of leaving for Charlotte last season, it isn’t as likely to be a problem in Milwaukee. The Hornets have been one of the worst teams in the NBA over the last several years, while the Bucks have been among the best.
Despite losing to the No. 8-seeded Miami Heat in the opening round of this year’s playoffs, the Bucks won a title just two seasons ago and have two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo under contract for two more years, with a player option for a third. Surrounding him on the bench are playoff-tested veterans who are part of a roster that produced the best regular season record in the league in 2022-23.
That said, all the other members of the Bucks’ core group — Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez — are in their 30s. Lopez, 35, is a free agent this summer. Middleton, who will soon turn 32, has a player option this summer that he can decline for free agency. Holiday, who will play next year at the age of 33, has a player option he can opt out of after the upcoming campaign.
Re-signing all of those players is likely to prove difficult for Milwaukee, especially after the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) kicks in on July 1. Even if the Bucks can bring all of them back, doing so might not be conducive to winning long-term given their ages.
Antetokounmpo is the most important player in Milwaukee by several factors, but the decisions the Bucks make on the players around him over the next year or two are likely to determine whether he wants to return or look to greener pastures elsewhere.
All of those elements, and Atkinson’s assessments of them, figure to play significant roles in the coach’s interest in leaving the Warriors for the Bucks, assuming he is offered the job. One thing is certain, however, Atkinson will be a head coach somewhere in the league sooner than later.
Atkinson has a strong NBA resumé after his time as associate head coach with the Warriors and a head coaching stint with the Brooklyn Nets from 2016-20. He has also served as an assistant coach with the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Clippers since entering the league in 2008.