Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images

Phoenix Suns Fired Head Coach Mike Budenholzer According to Multiple Sources

Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images

The Phoenix Suns fired head coach Mike Budenholzer after just one season with the team. The Suns finished the season with a 36-46 record this season, placing them at the 11th seed in the West. Outside of the Philadelphia 76ers, the Suns were easily the most disappointing team of the 2024-25 season, and nobody expected them to be in the position they are currently in. The experimentation of pairing Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant, and Devin Booker has worked horribly for them, and while these players are great individual scorers, their team success was subpar and sometimes hard to watch.

The Suns will now be looking to add a new head coach, as the offseason has already started for them. This will now be the team’s fourth head coaching search in four years, and the Suns’ owner Mat Ishbia has been looking for the right man for the job, ever since he took over in December of 2022. The owner has been extremely aggressive making changes, and it is clear that he wants immediate results, which ultimately means a NBA Finals trophy by the end of the season. However, none of the coaches or the players he’s signed so far has given him what he desperately wants.

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Was It a Good Decision To Fire Mike Budenholzer?

We believe that Budenholzer firing does not really change anything for the Phoenix Suns, as they have a lot bigger problems in their roster, than the style of coaching that was being implemented. When Bradly Beal was traded to the Suns, many believed that the big-three (KD, Beal, Booker) would solve most of the problems with the Suns. But the Suns have become worse each passing season.

One of the biggest problems with the Suns is their lack of a true point guard. The Suns traded away Chris Paul away and we believe that decision was what started their downfall. Paul is known to be a floor general, who can make everyone around him better. He controlled the tempo of the offense, and moved the ball to the right players at the right time. This took away playmaking responsibilities from Booker, and he could entirely focus on one thing that he does best, which was scoring. However, the Suns traded Paul away and since then, the Suns haven’t found a leader.

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Another reason why the Suns were bad was because of their lack of rebounders in their team. The Suns ranked 24th in rebounding in the 2024-25 season, and after the departure of DeAndre Ayton, they haven’t found a similar player to replace him with. Their lack of quality ‘big-men’ in their lineup showed through this season, and they were thoroughly outclassed on the boards, most nights, going against different teams.

The Suns ranked 21st in defensive efficiency this season, and they were one of the worst teams when it came to defending their opponents. This put a lot of pressure on Durant, Booker, and Beal, on both the offensive and the defensive side of the court. Since they could not stop teams from scoring, the Suns needed to have elite offense. However that was just not the case for the Suns.

What’s Next for the Suns?

There are multiple reports stating that Durant could be moved this offseason, to a different team. While Durant, individually, had another great season, it is clear that he is not the same player that he once was, who could carry the team deep into the playoffs. The Suns also could move on from Bradley Beal, and even though he has a no-trade clause on his contract, the Suns could buyout his contract, and release him from the team.

The Suns and Kevin Durant are expected to work on a trade out of Phoenix this summer.

KD had interest in Knicks, Timberwolves, Rockets, Spurs, and Heat at this past trade deadline, per @ShamsCharania 👀 pic.twitter.com/Y5qhXVcciR
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 2, 2025

Meanwhile for Devin Booker, his future with the Suns remains uncertain. He is one of the best players in the NBA and we doubt that the Suns would want to trade away their franchise player. However, after the Luka Doncic trade, one thing is clear that anybody in the NBA can be moved and nobody is safe.

Also Read: 2024-25 NBA Regular Season Player Stat Leaders

Mike Budenholzer

NBA

Phoenix Suns

Eric Divakaran

nba

nfl

mma

I cover the National Football League and things cannot get better than that. I always dreamed to play football or basketball professionally since I’m built like a Running Back. But now that I can’t, since I’m technically in the “Unc” age, I thought why not pick a career in sports industry? So here I am, doing what I love, and hoping that the Commanders win the Super Bowl. I give love to players when it’s due, but can be critical about their performances at the same time. Enough about me, now let my articles do all the talking.