Larry Drew has agreed in principle to become the Milwaukee Bucks' next coach, general manager John Hammond announced Friday. Drew, who was coach of the Atlanta Hawks the past three seasons, will receive a four-year, $10 million deal, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard.
Drew was chosen by Milwaukee over Houston Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson. He will replace interim coach Jim Boylan, who took over for former coach Scott Skiles on Jan. 8.
Drew went 128-102 while in Atlanta, and the Hawks reached the postseason in each of his three seasons. But general manager Danny Ferry, who inherited Drew when he took over last year, opted to let the coach go after the season as he continues his overhaul of the Hawks.
Milwaukee successfully made the playoffs this year for the first time since 2010. However, they were unceremoniously swept by the Miami Heat.
The sweep was part of a late-season collapse that cost Boylan any chance of getting the Bucks job permanently. After being two games over .500 on March 19, Milwaukee won just four of its last 16 regular-season games.
It marked the third straight season in which the Bucks finished with a losing record, and eighth time in the last nine years.
Drew does not have the same recognition of Jerry Sloan or Stan Van Gundy, both of whom the franchise attempted to lure out of retirement. But he left Atlanta with a winning record, and consistently got more out of his teams than many expected.
During his first season as head coach, the Hawks upset Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic in the first round of the playoffs, then took the Chicago Bulls to six game sin the Eastern Conference semifinals.
His understated demeanor could be just what the Bucks need, too, after a tumultuous season that included Skiles' departure, a midseason trade that sent promising young forward to Orlando for J.J. Redick, and the implosion down the stretch that many blamed on players being more concerned with their own futures than the team's results.
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