The Milwaukee Bucks Job Is Open, and the Mess Doc Rivers Left Behind Tells You Everything

It's been quiet on the NBA coaching carousel so far this offseason, but don't let that fool you. The Milwaukee Bucks just fired Doc Rivers on Sunday, and the wreckage left behind is exactly why this gig is going to be complicated. The Bucks finished 32-50 this season, their first lottery appearance in a decade, with Giannis Antetokounmpo shut down by injuries and the whole operation spiraling. Rivers, fresh off his Hall of Fame election last month, is out. The question now: who wants to inherit this mess?

The Giannis Question Dominates Everything

Here's the thing: if the Bucks still have Giannis next season, that's a massive selling point. You're building around one of the best players on the planet. That's a foundation a lot of coaches would kill for. But there's a catch. If Giannis isn't there, that means he got moved in a trade that could completely reshape the roster and the asset sheet. Either way, a new coach could be working with some genuinely intriguing options, especially if Milwaukee gets some lottery luck next month.

The Real Nightmare: Lillard's Cap Hit and No Draft Capital

Here's where it gets ugly. The Bucks waived and stretched Damian Lillard's contract, and they're stuck with $20 million against the salary cap for the next four seasons. On top of that, they don't have the draft capital they need because of the original trade to get Lillard in the first place. Adding impact players to fix this roster is going to be incredibly difficult. If Giannis stays healthy, it won't help much if you can't field a competitive team around him. This franchise could look completely different when training camp rolls around in September, but the financial reality is brutal.

New Orleans also fired Willie Green back in November and has been running interim coach James Borrego through an extended job interview. The Pelicans finished 26-56 with Borrego managing to coax wins out of a depleted roster, especially once some injured veterans returned. Zion Williamson had arguably his best and most available season yet, and Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones are quality two-way wings. But New Orleans has its own headaches: ownership funding questions, arena investment disputes, and a rough trade for Derik Queen that looked worse as the season wore on.

The carousel is just getting started. Milwaukee's job is the prize right now, but it comes with a blueprint of how fast things fall apart.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.