Bucks hiring Taylor Jenkins as head coach with Giannis Antetokounmpo's future uncertain in Milwaukee

The Milwaukee Bucks are finalizing a deal to hire Taylor Jenkins as their next head coach, per ESPN. Jenkins will replace Doc Rivers, who stepped down earlier this month after three tumultuous seasons in charge in Milwaukee. 

Jenkins is a familiar face in Milwaukee, as he spent a year as a lead assistant with the Bucks under Mike Budenholzer in 2018-19 before getting hired as the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies in 2019. Over six seasons in Memphis, Jenkins compiled a 250-214 record, leading the Grizzlies to three playoff appearances -- and was fired late in the 2024-25 season while Memphis was on its way to a fourth postseason appearance.

Jenkins took a year away from coaching, but is set to return in Milwaukee, where there are major questions about the short- and long-term future for the Bucks. 

What hiring Jenkins means for Giannis' future

Giannis Antetokounmpo's status with the team has been in question for a year now, and the will he/won't he saga surrounding a potential trade request hung over the Bucks the entire season as they went a disappointing 32-50. Entering this offseason, the biggest question facing the Bucks is whether they will seriously engage other teams on Antetokounmpo trade talks and look to move off their long-time franchise star, or if they'll try once again to retool and rebuild around him to convince him they're capable of contending in the manner he wants. 

Hiring Jenkins seems to provide the Bucks with an avenue to go in either direction. Jenkins' year with the Bucks as an assistant means he will have familiarity with Antetokounmpo and will know how to operate an offense and defense built around the star. 

On the other hand, Jenkins was in charge of a rebuilding process in Memphis, taking a young team and quickly turning it into a playoff contender, meaning if the Bucks and Antetokounmpo part ways, he won't be unfamiliar with the challenges of coaching a young, rebuilding team. 

Being comfortable with either outcome made Jenkins an ideal candidate for the Bucks, and they moved quickly to get their man into Milwaukee ahead of a pivotal summer for the franchise. 

Bucks' offseason options

Milwaukee heads into the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery with the 10th-worst record in the league. The Bucks could land a high pick, but it won't be No. 1 overall. That's because the Atlanta Hawks own the better of the picks between the Bucks and Pelicans. The Pels' pick is currently 7th in lottery odds at 6.8%. Milwaukee will have to root for both its pick and New Orleans' pick to jump to have a chance at a top-four selection. 

In any case, the Bucks will be selecting somewhere in the lottery and will want to have made a decision on Antetokounmpo's future by draft night. Whether that's finding a deal ahead of the draft or simply having a decision made internally about finding a trade for him once free agency begins, to truly begin plotting their course forward, the Bucks and Jenkins will need to know whether Antetokounmpo is still going to be the focal point. 

It's hard to see the path to keeping Antetokounmpo and building a contender right now, especially after their ill-fated swing last summer of waiving and stretching Damian Lillard to sign Myles Turner. Lillard's contract now eats up $22.5 million in space over the next three years, making it incredibly difficult for the Bucks to make major additions to the roster. 

If the plan is to move on from Antetokounmpo, the Bucks will need to decide how much they want to tear things down. The 2027 NBA Draft is not expected to be nearly as deep, nor as talented at the top as the 2026 class we are about to see enter the league. That will likely shape what kind of deal they pursue for Antetokounmpo and what assets they prioritize coming back in return. 

If they look to enter a longer rebuilding process by trying to take on more future picks, they'll have options to deconstruct the roster even further -- with Turner, Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis all veterans who could become available on the trade market. 

Jenkins will be well aware of all of the challenges that come with the Bucks job right now, but he's clearly comfortable with the plan the Bucks' brass has for moving forward, which we will see start to fall into place in the coming months.