Suns hire ex-NBA champion as new head coach

Milwaukee Bucks former head coach Mike Budenholzer.

The Phoenix Suns fired Frank Vogel on Thursday, and it appears they already had a replacement lined up when they made the move.

Mike Budenholzer will be named the next head coach of the Suns, according to a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic. Phoenix is expected to make Budenholzer one of the highest-paid coaches in the NBA.

Immediately after the Suns fired Vogel, reports surfaced that Budenholzer was their top target. The 54-year-old had drawn interest from multiple teams after he took a year off from coaching last season.

Budenholzer is from Arizona, which is likely one reason the Suns job appeals to him. He will also be able to contend for a championship right away with a core of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.

Budenholzer last coached the Milwaukee Bucks from 2018-2023 and won a championship with the team in 2021. He coached the Atlanta Hawks for five seasons before that.

The Suns went 49-33 in their lone season under Vogel and were swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round of the playoffs. There has been talk of them potentially trading a star player this offseason, but they are more likely to build out their bench and hope Budenholzer can get more from their Big Three than Vogel did.

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