Report: Bucks narrow down coaching search to Nurse, Griffin, Atkinson
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The Milwaukee Bucks have narrowed down their head coaching search to a handful of names, with two candidates having close ties to the Toronto Raptors, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
Wojnarowski says former Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, current assistant Adrian Griffin and Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson are among the top candidates for the vacant position.
Nurse also "looms prominently" when it comes to the Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers' coaching searches, reports Wojnarowski.
The Bucks, who finished first in the Eastern Conference this season with a 58-24 record, are in need of a new head coach after firing Mike Budenholzer following a shocking first-round upset by the eighth-seeded Miami Heat.
Nurse, 55, spent a decade with the Raptors organization, including five years as a head coach, highlighted by a NBA championship in 2019.
Toronto fired Nurse at the end of the 2022-23 campaign following a 41-41 regular season and a play-in loss to the Chicago Bulls on home court.
Griffin, 48, has been an assistant coach with the Raptors since 2018 and has also served on the coaching staffs of the Bucks, Bulls, Orlando Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Suns fired Monty Williams while the 76ers let go of Doc Rivers after disappointing playoff finishes this spring.