Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst is drawing interest from the Detroit Pistons to become the President of Basketball Operations, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Some fans may want Horst gone anyway because of the way he has constructed the team after they won the championship in 2020-2021 and have not been back to the NBA Finals ever since.
Jon Horst took over as the general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2017 and won the NBA Executive of the Year Award in 2019. He still has two years remaining on his contract. Horst is only 41 years old and it may be time for him to take a new job anyway with the Detroit Pistons, for a team that needs a complete rebuild.
It would be interesting to see Horst stay with the franchise and not bolt for a divisional rival. However, in the event that he does leave the Bucks, who are three candidates that could potentially replace him as general manager?
The Best Option For the Milwaukee Bucks To Replace Jon Horst With If He Were To Leave Is Oklahoma City Thunder Director of Team Personnel Nazr Mohammed
One of the things that the Bucks need to do with their roster is get younger. The Oklahoma City Thunder are the youngest team in the NBA and earned the number one seed in the Western Conference this season with a 57-25 record. He has learned from general manager Sam Presti since December 2017.
Presti has drafted players like Josh Giddey and Chet Holgrem and also has found other talent with later picks in the first round and second round. They also traded for superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the Los Angeles Clippers when they traded away Paul George. Nazr Mohammed has held roles as general manager of the OKC Blue and in the summer of 2023, he was appointed as the Director of Team Personnel. Mohammed is 46 years old.
Donnie Nelson, Former Dallas Mavericks General Manager
Nelson is 61 years old and was the general manager for the Dallas Mavericks from 2005-2021. He had a fallout with owner Mark Cuban. One of the things that Donnie Nelson is good at is international scouting. When Donnie Nelson was with the Dallas Mavericks, he helped Dallas draft Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki, and Luka Doncic.
He also wanted the Dallas Mavericks to draft Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2013. Nelson would be able to find young international talent if he was brought back into a front-office role in the NBA.
Elton Brand, Philadelphia 76ers General Manager
Would Brand want to leave the Philadelphia 76ers because of having to deal with President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morrey? Elton Brand would have much more of a say in basketball decisions if he were to become the general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks rather than where he is now.
Brand has lost that power for a couple of years now and has been in the front office of the Philadelphia 76ers since 2018. These are some potential names to replace Jon Horst, if he were to leave for another job or if the Milwaukee Bucks decided to fire him instead also.
