The Milwaukee Bucks are looking to move on after parting ways with Doc Rivers at the end of the 2025-26 regular season and reports suggest they've already set their sights on a potential candidate. 

According to a report by The Athletic, the Bucks are interested in bringing Taylor Jenkins on to be their next head coach.

"Team owners Wes Edens and Jimmy Haslam and general manager Jon Horst made their way to Memphis, where the former Grizzlies head coach still resides with his family, early last week to discuss their head coach opening and a vision for the future with Jenkins in Milwaukee, those sources said," per The Athletic. 

Jenkins coached as recently as the 2024-25 season where he was serving as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies from 2019 until he was fired by the Grizzlies with nine games left in the season in 2025. The Grizzlies finished 48-34 that season.

Jenkins hasn't had a coaching job since then, which leaves him open for the Bucks to move in without having to court him away from a rival team's coaching staff.

The Bucks are looking for stability after difficult 2025-26 season where they finished 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 32-50 record in a season that was defined by dysfunction, injuries and constant speculation that star Giannis Antetokounmpo was fed up with the team and wanting to jump ship to a contender.

Bringing in a new head coach sooner rather than later is the first step in repairing that dysfunction. Netting someone like Jenkins as early as possible to smooth out the transition between head coaches is definitely something that would work out in the Bucks' favor. 

 Despite being let go from the Grizzlies, Jenkins is a proven winner. In six seasons as a head coach Jenkins has a 464-250 lifetime record and has been Western Conference Coach of the Month three times. The Grizzlies made the playoffs four times under Jenkins, going as far as the conference semifinals in 2022.

Jenkins has long been credited for his strength at developing players and with the Bucks trending younger with players like Ryan Rollins increasingly positioned as a cornerstone of the team, that kind of steady, developmental hand from Jenkins at the helm could be a huge plus on boosting the Bucks' investment in youth. 

Of course, that's all dependent on Jerkins actually taking on the job, but as the first name listed in Milwaukee's head coach pursuit, focusing on a development-first coach looks like a step in the right direction for the Bucks.