Mike Budenholzer is reportedly one of three finalists for the Brooklyn Nets coaching job

Mike Budenhozer, who coached the Milwaukee Bucks to the title in 2021 and has had winners at some stages, is one of three finalists for the Brooklyn Nets head coaching job, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.

Sacramento Kings associate head coach Jordi Fernandez and Phoenix Suns associate head coach Kevin Young are the other finalists, according to the report. There are rumors that the list is actually longer than these three names, but these are the ones we know of.

Nets general manager Sean Marks will make the new head coach selection in partnership with owner Joe Tsai, which means Marks will be back next season despite rumors earlier this season that his role was heating up. reports Brian Lewis in the New York Post.

That’s where the Budenholzer connection comes in – both Marks and Budenholzer are outside of the Gregg Popovich/San Antonio coaching and front office tree. Budenholzer is also a proven team builder – he built a 60-win team in Atlanta and was Coach of the Year in 2015, then solidified things around Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee and gave the team an identity that led to the title of 2021. The criticism of coach Bud — that he can be stubborn and slow to adjust in the playoffs, which is why the team fired him after losing to Miami in the first round last year — is the kind of problem the Nets would like to have.

Budenholzer has the potential to do for the Nets what Tom Thibodeau did for the Knicks on the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge — give the team an identity and boost its standing. Budenholzer also makes sense as an established coach if the Nets truly believe they trade or attract top talent to play with Mikal Bridges and Nic Claxton. Right now, while perhaps the talent on the Nets roster could be better maximized, it’s not threatening any team at the top of the East. Marks has work to do.

Fernandez — who is also linked to the coaching vacancy at Charlotte — will be busy this summer as head coach of a Canadian team headed to the Paris Olympics (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, maybe Jamal Murray, Dillon Brooks, RJ Barrett and more). Fernandez was one of Michael Malone’s top assistants on the Denver staff, but left to become associate head coach at Sacramento under Mike Brown. He has a few years of experience as a G-League head coach with the Canton Charge.

Young is a coach that many league executives feel deserves a chance in the big chair somewhere. He has been an assistant with the Suns for years and was one of the finalists for the Suns job when Phoenix hired Frank Vogel – Vogel wanted to keep the highly respected and well-liked Young on his staff and reportedly made him the highest-paid assistant in the league. He has experience as a head coach at the G-League level.

The new coach will replace Jacque Vaughn, who was fired in February. Kevin Ollie was the interim coach and was considered for the full-time role, but is apparently not considered a finalist.