Less than a month remains in what is already a disastrous season for the San Antonio Spurs. They have already seen stars Victor Wembanyama and De'Aaron Fox ruled out for the season, as has head coach Greg Popovich, who missed most of the year after suffering a stroke.
Given his age at 76, there are serious questions about whether he will return to coach the Spurs again next season. San Antonio has made do by having assistant coach Mitch Johnson serve as the interim coach, but he has had mixed success, at best. That has caused Spurs fans to wonder if they should look elsewhere for the next coach of the Spurs, even as he's made progress.
Harrison Barnes says Coach Pop is "ahead of schedule" in his recovery after suffering a mild stroke.
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 19, 2025
Still, no one knows yet whether he will return to the sidelines next season.@ramonashelburne and @mikecwright have more ➡️ https://t.co/YvcOMRWINo pic.twitter.com/m9IP330ZNX
At the top of the list should be WNBA coach Becky Hammon. She previously served as an assistant on the Spurs for five years before leaving to coach the Las Vegas Aces to consecutive WNBA championships. However, she's under contract for two more years. Some coaches may be able to get out of their contract, but she may still not be available this summer.
The San Antonio Spurs should hire another former assistant turned championship head coach
However, another former Spurs assistant coach who'd be a perfect potential Popovich replacement is Phoenix Suns coach Mike Budenholzer. The Suns have to rank as one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA this season, with them currently ninth in the Western Conference and heading toward an inevitable offseason teardown.
That could include them trading star Kevin Durant and possibly Bradley Beal if he agreed to waive his no-trade clause. They could also move on from championship-winning coach Mike Budenholzer, who was Popovich's top assistant in San Antonio for 17 seasons before leaving to be a head coach.
He won four championships with the Spurs and likely would have Popovich's blessing if he were to become available and Pop could no longer coach. Budenholzer has gotten a bad rap in recent years, with his teams often failing to make noise in the playoffs, but he'd help the Spurs.
The Spurs must pursue Phoenix Suns coach Mike Budenholzer this summer.
Critics often ignore the fact that Budenholzer led the Atlanta Hawks to a 60-22 record in 2014–15. He also coached the Milwaukee Bucks to a blistering 271-120 (.693) record and a championship in 2021 over a five-year span.
Even if his playoff record is spotty, he is a floor-raising coach, and San Antonio could cross that bridge when they get to it. Budenholzer was known for running a motion offense in Atlanta similar to the one that the Spurs ran during their back-to-back NBA Finals trips and championship in 2014.
If he could install something similar on the Spurs that makes the most of Wembanyama's talents, then that alone would make him worth hiring. All in all, with the Suns likely to clean house, Budenholzer might shake loose and the Spurs should be interested if he does