Milwaukee Bucks’ Darvin Ham, Charles Lee interviewing for Kings’ opening

Year in and year out, the Milwaukee Bucks have two assistant coaches that garner significant interest around the league when head coaching openings arise. Those two are Darvin Ham and Charles Lee, who have been assistants with the Bucks since head coach Mike Budenholzer took over in 2018.

After spending the last few years as assistants, it looks like Ham and Lee will have a chance to interview for a coaching gig in the near future. According to ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sacramento Kings have been granted permission to interview Ham and Lee, among several other names that include Golden State’s Mike Brown and Brooklyn consultant Steve Clifford, for their vacant head coaching job.

Reactions to Milwaukee Bucks assistants Darvin Ham and Charles Lee getting permission to interview with the Sacramento Kings

This news is not surprising in the slightest. As mentioned previously, both Ham and Lee have been staples in the head coaching carousel conversation every offseason as the pair have been watched closely by opposing teams.

It seemed inevitable last offseason that Ham would get a head coaching job considering he had an abundance of interviews. The former NBA Champion drew interest from several teams, including the Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic, and Washington Wizards last offseason. In fact, Ham was even considered the frontrunner for Washington’s coaching job at one point, but they ultimately went with Wes Unseld Jr. at the end of their lengthy search. Though he did not land a job, Ham has been one of the hottest names when it comes to NBA coaching searches in recent years, and the Kings are the first team with rumored interest in him right now, with more names bound to surface as the year progresses.

Meanwhile, Lee has always been a recurring name in coaching searches as well as he had received big interest from the Boston Celtics and OKC Thunder last offseason. Per The Athletic’s Erik Horne (subscription required), Lee is considered to be among the top young assistant coaches in the NBA, and an anonymous Eastern Conference scout raved about his talent and presence as a coach. He would be a fantastic head coach for any team in the association, and it would be no surprise to see his name pop up in rumors frequently in the coming months.

Obviously, this is great news for both Lee and Ham. While it would be tough to see them depart from Milwaukee, given how integral they have been to the team’s success over the years, there are few people more deserving of a head coaching opportunity than these two. Time will tell how things progress with the Kings, but more teams will certainly express interest in the two over the next few months when more vacancies open up and teams begin looking for their next coach.

For now, best of luck to both Darvin Ham and Charles Lee in their interviews with the Kings!

Updates on the future of Ham and Lee in Milwaukee will follow, so be sure to stay tuned.