Mike Budenholzer, the NBA champion from 2021, will become the new head coach of the Phoenix Suns, reports reliable insider Shams Charania.
After a dismal first-round playoff exit where the Suns were swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves 4-0, the team from Arizona has decided it’s time for a coaching change. Frank Vogel has been fired, and Mike Budenholzer will take his place.
The Phoenix Suns finished this season with a record of 49-33, which was enough for the sixth position in the Western Conference of the NBA. However, after being defeated by the Denver Nuggets in the previous season’s Western Conference semifinals, they failed to advance past the first round of the playoffs this time. The trio of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker will have to wait for the next season for greater success.
Mike Budenholzer won the title with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, but after being eliminated by the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs last season, he was let go. He has won the NBA Coach of the Year award twice in his career, in 2015 and 2019.