NBA Rumors: Mike Budenholzer, Suns to Agree to HC Contract After Frank Vogel Firing
The Phoenix Suns have their replacement for former head coach Frank Vogel, whom they fired Thursday.
The team plans to hire Mike Budenholzer on a deal that is expected to approach eight figures annually, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, as Phoenix looks to reverse course after a disappointing 2023-24 season.
The Suns went into last season with astronomical expectations after acquiring Bradley Beal, Jusuf Nurkić, Nassir Little and Grayson Allen (among others) in offseason trades. Vogel, who led the Los Angeles Lakers to a championship in the Orlando bubble back in the 2019-20 season, was brought aboard to steer the ship. Devin Booker and Kevin Durant were already in place, giving the team an impressive amount of star power.
But it just never came together.
The team suffered from the lack of a true point guard or rim-protecting center, and depth was an issue all season. Durant, Booker and Beal never quite found a flow together, and the latter had one of his worst seasons in recent memory. Vogel, a defensive-minded coach, ultimately didn't seem like the right fit for so much offensive firepower.
The result was a 49-33 record that got the team the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference Playoffs, but it seemed like an underachievement given the talent on hand. When the Suns were swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round, a reckoning seemed in order.
Vogel was the first domino to drop when he was fired on Thursday. He will be replaced by Budenholzer, but other changes likely will follow. Beal's prohibitive salary and no-trade clause will make him virtually unmovable, and neither Booker or Durant seem likely to be traded, so the Suns will need to improve around the margins.
The hope will be that Budenholzer can get the most out of the talent on hand, eliminating the need for more wholesale change. But after last season, he probably won't be greeted by an abundance of patience in those efforts.
Budenholzer brings a championship pedigree to Phoenix, having paired with Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee to win a title in the 2020-21 season. He was the highest-profile coach on the market this offseason and fits team owner Mat Ishbia's penchant for taking big swings.
But he also came under fire in his final season for a lack of adjustments in a first-round ouster against the Miami Heat after the Bucks had earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference. He'll be under the spotlight in Phoenix, given the star power at hand.
