In a move that didn’t come as a surprise, the Phoenix Suns fired head coach Mike Budenholzer after the team’s final defeat on Sunday. The Sacramento Kings beat the Suns 109-98 on Sunday before they headed to the Play-In Tournament.
The Suns finished the season 36-46, three games back from the shorthanded Dallas Mavericks for the No. 10 seed in the Play-In Tournament. It was Budenholzer’s only season as the head coach of Phoenix.
The Milwaukee Bucks fired Budenholzer following the 2023 season, two years after he won the NBA finals with Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks were unhappy that the team couldn’t get out of the first round.
The Suns aren’t happy they didn’t reach the postseason at all with a two-time NBA Coach of the Year on the sideline.
Mike Budenholzer was the wrong coach for the Phoenix Suns
During his press conference with reporters, Suns owner Mat Ishbia blamed Budenholzer for not winning enough games with stars like Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.
“We better get the next hire right, and we will,” Ishbia said via video provided by Clutch Points. “The team in the roster that was constructed by (general manager) James (Jones), (CEO) Josh Bartelstein, scouts, the front office is much better than a 36-win roster.”
“There’s a lot of reasons why coach Bud is not here. I’m not going to get to all those reasons, but definitely believe we should have won a lot more games and been a lot more competitive during those games as well. And so, we wish him the best, but he was the wrong coach for our organization and for that team. And at the end of the day, you can blame me, because I’m the owner.”
"[I] definitely believe we should have won more games and been a lot more competitive… [He] was the wrong coach for our organization and for that team."
Suns Owner Mat Ishbia on why Mike Budenholzer was fired 🗣️️
(via @HaydenCilley) pic.twitter.com/9vkYRXMuyd
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 17, 2025
The Suns have had two one-year wonder head coaches
Budenholzer replaced Frank Vogel, who coached Phoenix for one season and went 49-33, losing in the first round of the playoffs in 2024. Vogel won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.
There appeared to be drama between the roster and Budenholzer during the season. Ishbia chose not to address those issues with the media.
For More Basketball News:
Follow me on Twitter at @JordanSig. You can also reach out to Jordan Sigler via email at [email protected]. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in college and NBA news, click here!
