Milwaukee Bucks: 5 candidates to replace Jason Kidd as coach

MILWAUKEE, WI - JANUARY 03: Head coach Jason Kidd of the Milwaukee Bucks looks on in the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers at the Bradley Center on January 3, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

3 of 5

Mandatory Credit: Mitchell Layton/Getty Images /

3. Kevin Ollie

If it’s a complete 180 from Kidd the Bucks want, why not turn to the college ranks? The shine is off Ollie as a candidate to make the jump to the NBA right now though, as UConn went 16-17 last season and currently sits seventh in the AAC with back-to-back losses by 20 or more points. Any talk of him being on the hot seat is not going away anytime soon, and Ollie has only next season left on the five-year contract extension he signed in 2014.

But on the other hand, now may be the right time to get Ollie to make the jump to the NBA. He removed himself from consideration for the Oklahoma City Thunder job before Billy Donovan was hired in 2015, then was a virtual walking contradiction regarding the Los Angeles Lakers job nearly two years ago. He told the Los Angeles Times he found the Lakers job “intriguing”, while eventually dismissing a rumored meeting he had with the team regarding the job in order to reinforce his commitment to UConn.

In August of 2016, CBS Sports took a poll asking which active college coach is most likely the next to make the jump to the NBA. Ollie won, taking 20 percent of more than 110 votes. As things turn sour on the men’s basketball side in Storrs, he may be open to leaving more than ever and the Bucks could go a little off the radar with interest in at least talking to him.