NBA Rumor Roundup: Latest on Milwaukee Bucks' trade targets, coaching suitors, more

Just last week, it seemed like the rest of the season might be a quiet one for the Milwaukee Bucks when it came to shaking up the roster or coaching staff.

Well, things changed pretty quickly. Over the last few days, the Bucks have been involved in a handful of rumors and underwent a massive personnel change. That said, let us look at all of the rumblings in the rumor mill right now that involve the Milwaukee Bucks.

What's next for the Bucks after firing Adrian Griffin? Rivers? Atkinson?

The Bucks shocked the NBA world on Tuesday by firing former coach Adrian Griffin just over halfway into his first season at the helm. However, it's seemingly something that has been brewing for a while.

Per insider Marc Stein (subscription required), a well-respected source told him that if Terry Stotts, a former assistant who left Milwaukee's coaching staff just before the season began due to a rumored disagreement with Griffin, were still on the staff, he'd be the current head coach.

According to TNT and Bleacher Report insider Chris Haynes, Bucks front office personnel, including GM Jon Horst, had been tuning into practices and shootarounds more closely lately. This reportedly raised the eyebrows of some players and members of the coaching staff. Behind the scenes, it was clear that something like this could take shape.

Griffin had reportedly lost the locker room. Haynes mentioned how players complained about roles, touches, and chemistry while also questioning the schemes on both sides of the ball. Things were simply not clicking, and the front office clearly felt like it was time to take things in a new direction.

Now, the team needs a new head coach. For now, Joe Prunty will serve as the interim, which marks the second time this has happened to him. He was the interim head coach for Milwaukee after they let go of Jaron Kidd several years ago. However, he's not expected to remain in that position, as the Bucks have a handful of targets in mind.

The man currently in the driver's seat is Doc Rivers, per Haynes and several other widely-reported NBA sources. Haynes, in particular, mentioned that Rivers may have a leg up over other candidates due to his past history of coaching star players, including Paul Piece, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and many other household names in today's game, like Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Joel Embiid.

Per Haynes, other names on the shortlist of candidates include Jeff Van Gundy and Nate McMillian. The Athletic's Shams Charania, Sam Amick, and Eric Nehm (subscription required) have reported that Kenny Atkinson is also in the mix. It's worth noting that the trio mentioned Atkinson being the top choice for Milwaukee if they were unable to pry Rivers away from ESPN and ABC.

The latest update is that the Bucks and Rivers are working toward a deal, but there is no agreement in place at this time, per Haynes.

UPDATE: There is indeed an agreement. Doc Rivers is in. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that Dave Joerger is a high-level assistant under consideration to join Rivers' staff in Milwaukee.