The Phoenix Suns have fired head coach Mike Budenholzer after teaching the workforce just one season, lacking the playoffs for the primary time since 2020. The information was first reported by Shams Charania of ESPN.
“Competing on the highest degree stays our purpose, and we failed to satisfy expectations this season,” the Suns stated in a press release. “Our followers deserve higher. Change is required.”
BREAKING: The Phoenix Suns have fired head coach Mike Budenholzer after ending in eleventh place with a 36-46 report in his one season, sources inform ESPN. pic.twitter.com/ocySLmWDQI
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 14, 2025
Disappointing Phoenix Suns Season
The Phoenix Suns wrapped up the season with a report of 36-46, lacking their season purpose by a large margin of delivering town its first championship in franchise historical past.
At first of the 2024-25 season, the Suns boasted a dominant report of 8-1 earlier than ahead Kevin Durant suffered a calf harm. The workforce struggled to get well after getting back from his harm. There have been additionally cases when the backcourt duo of Devin Booker and Bradley Beal missed video games resulting from accidents.
The few brilliant spots of the disappointing season have been Booker surpassing Walter Davis to turn out to be the franchises’ all-time main scorer and Durant surpassing 30,000 profession factors.
Many Adjustments Since 2021 NBA Finals Run
4 years in the past, the Phoenix Suns made an surprising run to the NBA Finals, because of a proficient younger core that included Deandre Ayton, Booker, Mikal Bridges, and Cam Johnson. They have been supported by Chris Paul and Jae Crowder, veterans who offered beneficial management and expertise.
The Suns additionally constructed on that run, successful a franchise report of 64 video games and ending on high of the Western Convention throughout the 2021-22 season beneath head coach Monty Williams. Within the Western Convention Semifinals, nevertheless, Phoenix fell to the Dallas Mavericks in seven video games.
As of 2025, Booker is the one participant off the 2020-21 roster nonetheless lively with the workforce. The Suns have undergone vital adjustments, together with Mat and Justin Ishbia taking up possession after Robert Sarver offered the workforce to the brothers greater than two years in the past.
The Suns additionally traded Bridges and Johnson on the night time of the 2023 NBA commerce deadline to the Brooklyn Nets in change for Durant. After falling to the Denver Nuggets within the second spherical of the 2023 NBA Playoffs, Phoenix traded Paul to the Washington Wizards, in change for Beal, and Ayton and Tounami Camara to the Portland Trailblazers in change for Grayson Allen and Jusuf Nurkic as a part of a three-team deal.
Phoenix can have its fourth totally different head coach in two years after parting methods with Monty Williams in 2023, firing Frank Vogel in 2024, and letting go of Budenholzer after the simply accomplished season. James Jones, the Suns’ Common Supervisor, has an expiring contract, and the query round The Valley is whether or not the franchise will prolong it or not.
The Suns face quite a few challenges in reconstructing their roster after a disappointing season, significantly concerning how they’ll handle Beal’s hefty contract, which features a no-trade clause. The Suns nonetheless owe hundreds of thousands of {dollars} to Williams, Vogel and Budenholzer, along with having to play whomever they rent for 2025-26 and past.
The franchise is also coping with a fan base that’s vastly upset after there was a lot hope following that 2021 NBA Finals run. The teaching state of affairs would not assist fan morale, so the franchise is hoping for a house run rent and the appropriate personnel strikes heading into the 2025 NBA Draft.
