Milwaukee Bucks to Interview Miami Heat Assistant for Head Coach Opening

If you can't beat them, hire them. After suffering a shocking upset to the Miami Heat in the first round, the Milwaukee Bucks have received permission to interview Heat assistant coach Chris Quinn for their head coaching vacancy per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Milwaukee Bucks received permission to interview Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn for the franchise’s coaching job, sources tell ESPN. Quinn has emerged on Erik Spoelstra’s staff as a candidate for several recent openings.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 15, 2023

Quinn and the Heat go way back. He initially joined the team as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He appeared in 168 games for the team, averaging 5.1 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game as a backup point guard.

After his playing career fizzled out, Quinn turned to coaching. He served as an assistant at Northwestern for a year before returning to the Heat as an assistant in 2014. He has worked for the team ever since, participating in three Eastern Conference Finals appearances and even a Finals appearance in 2020.

The Bucks fired longtime head coach Mike Budenholzer after a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Heat in the opening round, so it makes a certain amount of sense to snatch some talent away from the team that bested you. Quinn has never had the top job at either the college or the professional level, so he could also in theory provide a youthful change of pace. The 53-year-old Budenholzer was in his 10th year as a head coach and his fifth year as the Bucks' leader before being let go.