The Phoenix Suns have fired Mike Budenholzer, the team announced Monday. This marks the third consecutive season in which the Suns have fired a head coach. In 2023, mere months after Matt Ishbia took over the team, they fired Monty Williams following a second-round exit. Last season, they hired Frank Vogel as a replacement only to fire him following a first-round sweep. Now, with Budenholzer gone as well, the Suns are looking for their fourth head coach in as many seasons.
“Competing at the highest level remains our goal, and we failed to meet expectations this season. Our fans deserve better. Change is needed,” the Suns said in a statement that was released by the team and not attributed to any individual.
Budenholzer, an NBA champion with the Milwaukee Bucks, a two-time Coach of the Year and an Arizona native, joined the Suns on a five-year contract last offseason. The expectation at the time was that the two sides would fit together quite well. Budenholzer has a tendency to limit how many minutes his best players play, and Phoenix has an older, injury-prone roster. The Suns badly needed to improve their defense and shot diet, and Budenholzer teams are known for having high defensive floors and taking the right shots.
In practice, however, the partnership was a flop. Despite an 8-1 start, the Suns were eliminated from postseason contention before the regular season’s final weekend and finished 36-46. Reports indicated that there was quite a bit of tension in the months leading up to that elimination, with Chris Haynes reporting in February that Budenholzer asked star guard Devin Booker to tone it down vocally. After one of the most disappointing seasons in NBA history, the Suns ultimately elected to make yet another coaching change.
They did so heading into an offseason that features quite a bit of uncertainty on the roster. Kevin Durant is widely expected to be traded. If the Suns can find a taker for Bradley Beal that he deems acceptable with his no-trade clause, he could be moved as well. The goal, seemingly, will be to rebuild a new winner around Booker while he is still in his prime. Given Phoenix’s limited tradable draft capital and the financial limitations their bloated payroll imposes, though, that won’t be easy regardless of who is coaching the team.
Budenholzer, meanwhile, figures to be among the more attractive options on the head coaching market this offseason. Two desirable jobs in Denver and Memphis have already opened up, and Sacramento also made a change in the middle of the season by firing Mike Brown. More jobs are likely to open as the offseason progresses, and Budenholzer, with a strong track record in both Atlanta and Milwaukee, should be a candidate for several of them.
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