Suns Fire Mike Budenholzer After Missing Playoffs With League’s Largest Payroll

The Phoenix Suns have parted ways with head coach Mike Budenholzer, the team announced on Monday, after failing to make the NBA playoffs and play-in tournament despite holding the largest payroll in league history.

“Competing at the highest level remains our goal, and we failed to meet expectations this season. Our fans deserve better. Change is needed,” the team released in a statement.

Suns owner Matt Ishbia, CEO Josh Bartelstein and general manager James Jones are once again changing coaches for the third consecutive season following a disappointing 36-46 finish.

Team sources revealed that Budenholzer’s struggles to connect with the locker room was an issue this season, leading team officials to conclude that the roster didn’t respond to him. The disconnect began with Devin Booker and extended down the roster.

The Suns are set to begin an extensive coaching search.

The Suns brought in the 2021 championship winning coach on a five-year, $50 million contract last offseason, valuing his winning resume and his coaching philosophy on offense and defense.

The Suns joined rare company this season, becoming only the third team in NBA history to start 8-1 or better and miss the playoffs, joining the 1970-71 Detroit Pistons and the 2001-02 Milwaukee Bucks. During March and April, the Suns lost eight games in a row by double digits — a franchise-worst streak.

The Suns finished the season with the third-worst defensive efficiency in the NBA — and ranked second-worst in that category after the All-Star break.

The Suns’ star trio of Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal had a 26-15 record and +6.6 net efficiency last season. This season, that trio managed just a 19-18 record with a -4.1 net efficiency.

The Suns finished the post-All-Star stretch at 10-18 and went just 12-32 against teams at or above .500.

This is just the beginning of what’s expected to be an eventful summer for the Suns. The team is expected to engage in trade talks involving Durant and assess Beal’s future. Multiple teams are expected to aggressively pursue Durant, and the Suns are likely to work with him and his business partner, Rich Kleiman, to determine his next destination.

Beal is under contract for two more years, with $111 million still owed.

Durant was nearly dealt to the Golden State Warriors at the trade deadline but made it known he wasn’t interested in a reunion with his former team. He’s set to play the final year of his contract next season.

With Durant in the lineup, the Suns finished 33-29 this season — but without him, they managed just a 3-17 record.