Suns Fire Head Coach Mike Budenholzer After One Season

A disappointing year in Phoenix has led to head coach Mike Budenholzer being shown the door.
The Phoenix Suns have fired head coach Mike Budenholzer after one season.
The Phoenix Suns have fired head coach Mike Budenholzer after one season. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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The Phoenix Suns have fired head coach Mike Budenholzer after one season, according to a report from ESPN's Shams Charania.

The departure of Budenholzer was widely anticipated after the Suns clocked a very disappointing season in Budenholzer's only year at the helm. The Suns missed the playoffs outright after many expected the franchise to - at the very least - contend for one of the top six spots in the West and avoid the play-in tournament.

However, the Suns battled injury woes throughout the year once again, with Bradley Beal struggling to stay healthy and Kevin Durant suffering a late-season ankle sprain in the midst of a final playoff push. The end result was the Suns going 36-46 and finishing 11th in the West.

A significant offseason awaits, with a Durant trade on the table after he was dangled at the deadline. Durant was nearly dealt back to the Golden State Warriors, but he nixed the trade thanks to his no-trade clause to finish the season in Phoenix.


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Mike McDaniel
MIKE MCDANIEL

Mike McDaniel is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where he has worked since January 2022. His work has been featured at InsideTheACC.com, SB Nation, FanSided and more. McDaniel hosts the Hokie Hangover Podcast, covering Virginia Tech athletics, as well as Basketball Conference: The ACC Football Podcast. Outside of work, he is a husband and father, and an avid golfer.