Mike Budenholzer is officially out as the Phoenix Suns head coach following an extremely disappointing season. Despite entering the year with their three stars and getting off to an 8-1 start to the season, Phoenix finished with a 36-48 record and missed the playoffs outright. ESPN’s Shams Charania was the first to officially report this change that many were expecting.
The Suns will now search for their fourth different head coach in the past four seasons. Monty Williams was fired in 2023, Frank Vogel was fired last year after going 49-33 and being swept by the Timberwolves, and now Budenholzer will fall on the sword after taking a further step back this season. Budenholzer had accepted a five-year $50 million deal to serve as the Suns head coach this past offseason.
Matt Ishbia has proven to be one of the most aggressive owners in sports since taking over for the past two years. The Suns had the largest payroll in NBA history this season with a $214.4 million total cap hit and some extreme luxury tax penalties. They created some unique pathways to building out their roster that deserve credit, but the ultimate results still were not good enough.
There are sure to be deeper changes coming for the franchise with this season being a massive failure on all accounts. Kevin Durant’s name popped up in trade rumors at the deadline and he feels the organization’s best chance to recoup some assets and begin building in a new direction. Bradley Beal still has a full season and a one-year player option remaining on his max contract worth a combined $110.7 million. There are plenty of reasons to be underwhelmed and frustrated with Beal’s play but the 31-year-old also holds possession of a no-trade clause and has been plenty vocal about how he likes being in Phoenix.
Devin Booker’s future feels more uncertain than ever before with him just finishing the first season of his four-year $220.4 million max contract. There are more questions than answers regarding the future of the Suns as they are sure to be involved in plenty of headlines this summer.
Along with the news of the coach’s firing, the Suns issued the following statement, “Competing at the highest level remains our goal and we failed to meet expectations this season. Our fans deserve better. Change is needed.”
