The Phoenix Suns, who wildly underachieved for yet another season, fired their third head coach in as many years, parting ways with Mike Budenholzer, the team confirmed.
In a statement Monday, the team said its “fans deserve better.” Budenholzer logged a 36-46 record in his lone season with the Suns.
“Competing at the highest level remains our goal and we failed to meet expectations this season. Our fans deserve better. Change is needed.”
Budenholzer had just completed the first season of a five-year, $50 million contract. He was hired a year ago after the Suns fired Frank Vogel one season into a five-year, $31 million contract, leaving Phoenix hefty tabs to pay a pair of former coaches, pending any offset language in the contracts.
Phoenix entered this season with high hopes. Even with little financial flexibility, the Suns had managed to reinforce the roster around All-Stars Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, a trio of potent scorers. They certainly had the talent to succeed. They just needed the knowhow and the will.
Budenholzer was tasked with the knowhow. The Suns needed what was a top-10 offense to become an elite one, and Budenholzer brought championship pedigree from his tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks. Except increased ball movement did not increase scoring, and Phoenix’s offense fell outside the top 10.
Likewise, the Suns relied on Budenholzer to construct a serviceable defense. There were obvious limitations, given the roster. Durant is 36 years old, and both Booker and Beal are offense-first players. They had no rim protection and no point-of-attack defense on the ball. With the same limitations, their previous head coach, Frank Vogel, had designed a middling defense. Under Budenholzer it fell to 27th in the league.
This is where will enters the conversation. The Suns appeared unhappy and disconnected throughout the season, and reports from behind the scenes confirmed what was evident: toxicity. If they did not quit on the season, they might as well have. They finished 11th in the West, despite their $366 million payroll.
Someone had to answer for that. Vogel did last season. Budenholzer did this year. The next coach will face the same roadblocks for a misfit roster that has no flexibility to make transactional improvements. The Suns are stuck, and sweeping changes, including a possible trade of Durant, could come this summer.
Meanwhile, Budenholzer carries this as a blemish on his résumé. He posted a winning record with the Atlanta Hawks before going to Milwaukee, where he finished with a 271-120 record (.693 win percentage). He has coached teams to the playoffs in nine of his 11 seasons at the helm, winning a title in 2021.
The Phoenix Suns, who wildly underachieved for yet another season, fired their third head coach in as many years, parting ways with Mike Budenholzer, the team confirmed.
In a statement Monday, the team said its “fans deserve better.” Budenholzer logged a 36-46 record in his lone season with the Suns.
“Competing at the highest level remains our goal and we failed to meet expectations this season. Our fans deserve better. Change is needed.”
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Phoenix entered this season with high hopes. Even with little financial flexibility, the Suns had managed to reinforce the roster around All-Stars Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, a trio of potent scorers. They certainly had the talent to succeed. They just needed the knowhow and the will.
Budenholzer was tasked with the knowhow. The Suns needed what was a top-10 offense to become an elite one, and Budenholzer brought championship pedigree from his tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks. Except increased ball movement did not increase scoring, and Phoenix’s offense fell outside the top 10.
Likewise, the Suns relied on Budenholzer to construct a serviceable defense. There were obvious limitations, given the roster. Durant is 36 years old, and both Booker and Beal are offense-first players. They had no rim protection and no point-of-attack defense on the ball. With that their previous head coach, Frank Vogel, had designed a middling defense. Under Budenholzer it fell to 27th in the league.
This is where will enters the conversation. The Suns appeared unhappy and disconnected throughout the season, and reports from behind the scenes confirmed what was evident: toxicity. If they did not quit on the season, they might as well have. They finished 11th in the West, despite their $366 million payroll.
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Someone had to answer for that. Vogel did last season. Budenholzer did this year. The next coach will face the same roadblocks for a misfit roster that has no flexibility to make transactional improvements. The Suns are stuck, and sweeping changes, including a possible trade of Durant, could come this summer.
Meanwhile, Budenholzer carries this as a blemish on his résumé. He posted a winning record with the Atlanta Hawks before going to Milwaukee, where he finished with a 271-120 record (.693 win percentage). He has coached teams to the playoffs in nine of his 11 seasons at the helm, winning a title in 2021.
