Things are drying out and falling apart quickly in the desert.
The Phoenix Suns are moving in a different direction and have fired their coach Mike Budenholzer, the team announced Monday. There is no stability. This makes the third consecutive season in which the Suns have shown a head coach their walking papers. In 2023, mere months after Governor Matt Ishbia took over the team from Robert Sarvar, they fired Monty Williams following a second-round exit. Last season, they hired Frank Vogel as a replacement only to relieve him of his duties following a first-round sweep by Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Now, with Budenholzer out of the picture 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 organization and not attributed to any individual.
Budenholzer, an NBA champion with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, who ironically defeated the Suns in six games in the Finals, a two-time Coach of the Year and an Arizona native, joined the Suns on a five-year deal last offseason. The expectations at the time were through the roof and was that the two sides would fit together like a puzzle. Budenholzer tends to put a cap on 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 efficiency, and Budenholzer teams are known for having high defensive floors and taking the right shots.
In practice, however, the partnership was null and void. Despite an 8-1 start to the season, the Suns were eliminated from postseason contention before the regular season’s final weekend and finished a dismal 36-46, ten games below .500. Multiple reports brought to light that there was quite a bit of frustration and tension in the months leading up to that elimination, with Chris Haynes reporting in February that Budenholzer asked star guard and franchise cornerstone 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.
Embed from Getty ImagesThey did so heading into an offseason that features quite a bit of uncertainty on the roster. Kevin Durant is widely expected to be moved. If the Suns can find a taker for Bradley Beal and his large contract, that he deems acceptable considering his no-trade clause, he could be shipped out of town 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 assets and the financial limitations their inflated payroll imposes, though, that will not be an easy task, regardless of who is sitting in that hot coach’s seat.
Budenholzer figures to be among the more attractive candidates on the head coaching market this offseason. Two desirable jobs in Denver and Memphis, with great players leading them, have already opened, 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, respectively, should be high on the list as an option for several of them.
