The Suns are hiring Mike Budenholzer for the long term.
Phoenix is inking its new head coach to a five-year deal worth at least $50 million, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Budenholzer is taking over for Frank Vogel, who was fired after one season that saw the Suns disappointingly get swept in the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Timberwolves.
Charania reported that the team is expected to offer assistant coach David Fizdale a job with the Suns’ front office, but he is not expected to accept the position.
Budenholzer brings in a championship pedigree to the Suns, having won an NBA title with the Bucks in 2021.
He previously led the Hawks from 2013-18 before taking the Milwaukee job, as he helped lead the Bucks to four straight seasons with 46-plus wins, including four years with at least 50 wins.
But the Bucks fell in the first round of the playoffs last year in a five-game series with the Heat, and Budenholzer was surprisingly fired by Milwaukee after the season.
But his replacement, Adrian Griffin, was shockingly fired in January after holding a 30-13 record and was replaced by Doc Rivers.
After an up-and-down second half of the season, the Bucks fell in the first round of the playoffs again this year as Giannis Antetokounmpo was out with a calf strain.
Budenholzer now inherits a team with Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker, which seemingly underachieved during 2023-24.
Durant said that he expects his team to make changes before the start of next season.
“You reflect back on the season, we were just inconsistent with our play and the style of play that we wanted,” Durant told reporters after the Suns were swept out of the playoffs.
“But I think guys will dig deep this summer, work on what they need to work on individually, the coaches will make adjustments because we’ve got stuff on film from all season on who we can be.”
News Summary:
- Mike Budenholzer getting five-year, $50 million deal from Suns
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