Ex-Bucks aides Prunty, Foster find new homes
Joe Prunty and Greg Foster, assistant coaches with the Milwaukee Bucks each of past four seasons, have found new jobs according to ESPN reports.
Prunty, who assumed head coaching duties following the firing of Jason Kidd on Jan. 22 and guided the Bucks to a 21-16 record to close the regular season, will join the Phoenix Suns. There, he will be the lead assistant on the staff of Igor Kokoskov, who was hired as the team's new head coach in May.
Foster, who like Prunty joined the Bucks staff in 2014 following Kidd's arrival, will also join the staff of a firstyear head coach. He is reportedly joining the Atlanta Hawks and the staff of head coach Lloyd Pierce, who was also hired in May.
Changes have been expected for the Bucks' coaching staff since Kidd's January ouster and these relocations are just the beginning. Prunty was given the remainder of the 2017-'18 season to helm the squad, but following the team's loss in Game 7 of their first series against the Boston Celtics, Bucks management expectedly opened up a coaching search.
Former Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer was ultimately the team's choice, with the announcement coming on May 17. Prunty was part of the interview process, but did not receive a second-round interview.
Following his hiring, Budenholzer voiced his hope that the majority of his Hawks coaching staff would be able to join him in Milwaukee. His aim was to move quickly to make recommendations to general manager Jon Horst as to which coaches he would like to fill out his staff. With those recommendations, Horst would then work on the logistics of making hiring decisions.
Thus far, no new assistant coaches have been announced by the Bucks and it's not clear if any of last year's assistants will be chosen to remain. Foster, Stacey Augmon and Vin Baker were with the team at the NBA draft combine, though Baker said he remained unsure of what was coming next — a sentiment likely to be shared by the other Bucks assistants considering new head coaches usually bring in their own staffs.