THE Phoenix Suns have fired their head coach after a disappointing season.
Mike Budenholzer has been fired by the Suns after finishing 36-46.
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Budenholzer got just one season as Suns head coach before being fired.
His team finished in 11th place in the Western Conference despite having a loaded roster.
Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are two of the top talents in the NBA, but they were unable to produce a winning season.
Durant averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game.
Booker averaged 25.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game.
Despite their good statistical season, the star duo were unable to help their coach win games.
NBA fans felt more of the blame was on Booker and Durant than Budenholzer, and shared their thoughts on social media.
“Kd got his coach fired again,” one fan said.
“He wasn’t even the problem, it’s the players on the team being too emotional,” another fan said.
“Another coach scapegoated by KD cus he’s on on his 6th superteam and still can’t win without Steph,” a third fan said.
“Suns went from one of the best futures in the league in 2021 to literally rock bottom in less than 4 years,” a fourth fan said.
“He’s not that good of a coach, but their roster was TERRIBLY built,” a fifth fan said.
Budenholzer is now the third head coach to be fired by the Suns in the last three years.
Monty Williams was fired by the Suns after the 2023 season and Frank Vogel was fired following the 2024 season.
2025 NBA Playoff matchups
Western Conference:
Play-In Tournament:
- No. 7 Golden State Warriors vs No. 7 Memphis Grizzlies
- No. 9 Sacramento Kings vs No. 10 Dallas Mavericks
First Round:
- No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder vs No. 8 seed
- No. 2 Houston Rockets vs. No. 7 seed
- No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers vs No. 6 Minnesota Timberwolves
- No. 4 Denver Nuggets vs No. 5 LA Clippers
Eastern Conference:
Play-In Tournament:
- No. 7 Orlando Magic vs No. 8 Atlanta Hawks
- No. 9 Chicago Bulls vs No. 10 Miami Heat
First Round:
- No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs No. 8 seed
- No. 2 Boston Celtics vs No. 7 seed
- No. 3 New York Knicks vs No. 6 Detroit Pistons
- No. 4 Indiana Pacers vs No. 5 Milwaukee Bucks
Durant has one more year on his contract but it is expected that the Suns will explore a trade this offseason.
Booker is the franchise cornerstone in Phoenix and has three more years left on his deal.
It is highly unlikely that he gets traded in the next few years.
The Suns currently have the ninth-best odds in the NBA Draft lottery and could explore rebuilding their team through the draft.