NBA Fans Predict Kevin Durant Leaves Suns as HC Mike Budenholzer Reportedly Fired

For the third time in the last three years, the Phoenix Suns will be searching for a new head coach, and many don't expect that star forward Kevin Durant will be around for the new regime.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Suns fired head coach Mike Budenholzer after a 36-46 finish in his first season with the team.

Following the news, fans on social media immediately began predicting that Durant's time in Phoenix will come to an end this summer:

Charania added that the Suns plan to work with Durant and his business partner Rich Kleiman on a potential trade this offseason.

The Suns fired Monty Williams after a 45-37 finish to the 2022-23 season, plus a loss in the conference semifinals, and replaced him with Frank Vogel, who was fired after going 49-33 in 2023-24 and losing in the first round of the playoffs. Budenholzer, a two-time NBA Coach of the Year and an NBA champion with the Milwaukee Bucks, couldn't even get the team to the postseason.

The dysfunction in Phoenix was on full display throughout the year. The team was expected to have a Big 3 with Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, but Durant and Beal missed time during the season, creating major chemistry issues. The top-heavy roster led to a lack of depth, and Budenholzer was unable to stabilize things with his star players in and out of the lineup.

Budenholzer's locker room mismanagement was further spotlighted when Durant was seen expressing frustrations multiple times late in the year.

Durant had been rumored to be a trade candidate dating back to the Feb. 6 trade deadline, and those rumors appear to have become a reality following Budenholzer's firing. The 36-year-old is still one of the best players in the league when healthy, so teams in need of a star will be lining up to try to acquire him from the Suns during the upcoming offseason.