The Phoenix Suns have relieved head coach Frank Vogel of his duties following the team’s first round playoff exit at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Vogel spent only 1 season with the franchise, going 49-33 in the regular season before being swept out of the playoffs in the first round. The 50 year old bench boss signed a 5 year, $31M contract to succeed Monty Williams as the franchise’s new head coach, but now departs with 4 years remaining on his deal.
“As we said at the press conference on May 1, team leadership including myself, Josh Bartelstein, and ownership would be looking across basketball operations to determine what changes needed to be made,” Suns general manager James Jones said in a prepared statement. “After a thoughtful review of the season, we concluded that we needed a different head coach for our team. We appreciate Frank’s hard work and commitment.”
Phoenix boasted the league’s 3rd highest payroll after acquiring Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant to form a “Big 3” alongside Devin Booker. However injuries, and inconsistent play plagued the team all year long, with their vaunted trio seeing limited time on the court simultaneously throughout the 2023-24 campaign.
New owner Mat Ishbia, who assumed control of the club in February of 2023, now faces a projected luxury tax penalty of $116M this offseason. With the Suns currently sitting above the 2nd luxury tax apron, Phoenix could receive punitive measures from the league if they’re not able to shed salary, which would severely limit their ability to bolster their roster.
While a successor has yet to be named, former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer appears to be on a short list of candidates being considered for the vacancy. The 54 year old is a 4x NBA champion as an assistant coach, and helped guide the Bucks to the 2021 title as a head coach.
Budenholzer sat out the 2023-24 campaign, but is rumoured to be putting together a coaching staff in anticipation of an imminent hire.
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