The Phoenix Suns entered the 2023-24 NBA season hoping that a roster featuring Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal and 2020 NBA Finals-winning coach Frank Vogel would be primed for a run. deep in the playoffs.
But Phoenix was swept in four games in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Less than two weeks after the early postseason exit, the Suns decided to release Vogel after just one season.
“As we said in the May 1 press conference, team leadership, including myself, Josh Bartelstein and ownership, would review basketball operations to determine what changes needed to be made,” Suns general manager James said. Jones, in a statement.
“After a careful review of the season, we came to the conclusion that we needed a different head coach for our team. We appreciate Frank's hard work and commitment.”
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Head coach Frank Vogel of the Los Angeles Lakers during a game against the Denver Nuggets on April 10, 2022 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. (Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
ESPN reported that Mike Budenholzer, who led the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA title in 2021, could be a leading candidate to replace Vogel. The Bucks fired Budenholzer in May 2023 after the team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. He did not train this season.
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The Suns finished this season with a 49-33 record and entered the postseason as the sixth seed.
Vogel signed a five-year contract with the Suns in June. He was hired after the franchise parted ways with Monty Williams following Phoenix's loss in the Western Conference semifinals to the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets.
Phoenix Suns head coach Frank Vogel applauds his players during the first half of Game 4 of a first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 28, 2024 in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
When the Suns were still alive in the playoffs, Vogel said he was “very” confident he would be retained for the 2024-25 season and that he had “full support” from team owner Matt Ishbia.
Vogel previously served as head coach of the Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers.
Head coach Frank Vogel of the Phoenix Suns speaks to the media after a playoff game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 23, 2024 at the Target Center in Minneapolis. (Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Suns' next coach will presumably work closely with Jones and the rest of the front office to find a way to transform the team's sizable payroll into a championship contender. The Suns have $209 million in the offseason, the highest payroll in the league.
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The organization could move some key players this offseason to reduce its payroll and luxury tax bills.
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