As expected, the Suns are making some massive changes after a disappointing season. The team announced Monday it has fired coach Mike Budenholzer after just one season as the Suns went 36-46 and missed the play-in tournament.
The Suns had plenty of anticipation coming into this season with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. But by the end of the season, they looked disconnected as they couldn’t even muster up a play-in tournament appearance. Budenholzer was hired last summer by the Suns, but the former NBA champion coach is already out.
Phoenix is expected to go through major changes this summer after wading through mediocrity despite having the largest payroll in NBA history. That path could include trading Durant as his contract has one year remaining. The 36-year-old is still playing at an elite level, though it wasn’t enough to lift the Suns to the playoffs.
Budenholzer won the 2021 NBA championship with the Bucks, defeating the Suns in the process. He worked closely with current Celtics Jrue Holiday and Al Horford at different stops in Milwaukee and Atlanta, respectively, as he had complimentary words for the reigning champs.
It was clear the Suns experiment wasn’t working this year. The Suns defense slipped significantly as their offense wasn’t even close to making up for the disparity. The Suns went 49-33 to finish sixth in the West last season before getting swept in the first round to the Timberwolves. So there was hope they could build off that season, but instead, the Suns backtracked significantly.
The Suns now enter a massive offseason as they look to get their roster back on track. Owner Mat Ishbia has made sweeping, huge changes since acquiring the team, but the on-court hasn’t lived up to expectations. As a result, the Suns will be on their third coach in the past three years come the start of the 2025-26 season. Before then, the Suns will need to figure out what direction it wants to go as an organization.
