The 2024-25 season for the Phoenix Suns was a colossal disappointment. With a roster led by Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal, the team was expected to contend for a championship. Instead, they limped to a 36-46 record, missing the playoffs and snapping a four-year postseason streak. Head coach Mike Budenholzer, who arrived with a sparkling resume that included an NBA title with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, was fired after just one year. Despite the Suns’ massive $214 million payroll and $152 million in luxury tax penalties, both league leaders, they finished 11th in the West. Owner Mat Ishbia’s lack of patience was glaring, as this is the third coaching change in three years. Budenholzer’s exit underscores a tumultuous era for a franchise saddled with Beal’s hefty contract and lofty ambitions that fell flat.
Budenholzer Out Means A Fourth Coach in Four Years
Budenholzer’s tenure was rocky from the start. The Arizona native and two-time Coach of the Year experimented with 35 different starting lineups, according to The Athletic, shuffling rotations in ways that confused players and fans alike. His disconnect with the locker room, particularly with Devin Booker, proved fatal. Now the Suns face the task of hiring their fourth head coach in four years, a sign of the instability that has become a hallmark of Ishbia’s ownership. Since taking over in 2023, he’s gone through Monty Williams, Frank Vogel and now Budenholzer, each move reflecting a quick trigger finger that has yet to yield results. As Phoenix searches for its next leader, the question looms: Can a new voice steady the ship, or is the problem bigger than the bench?
The Suns coaching carousel continues to spin, and two intriguing names have surfaced as potential replacements: Taylor Jenkins and Michael Malone. Recently fired by the Memphis Grizzlies despite a 44-29 record and a playoff berth, Jenkins has shown a knack for building competitive teams around young stars like Ja Morant. His fresh approach could breathe new life into Phoenix.
Meanwhile, Malone, who led the Denver Nuggets to their first championship in 2023, brings a tougher, proven style that could fit the Suns’ veteran core. Both were fired by their former teams despite postseason appearances, making them prime candidates for a Suns roster desperate for direction. Ishbia’s track record suggests he won’t hesitate to make a splashy hire – but whether that stabilizes or further disrupts the franchise remains to be seen.
Kevin Durant’s Uncertain Future
At 36, Kevin Durant is at a crossroads as he enters the final year of his contract. The Suns’ dismal season has sparked visible frustration, with sideline outbursts and whispers of discontent. Now, league sources say Phoenix is ready to trade him this summer and is working with Durant’s team to find a suitable destination. In the West, Dallas could pair him with Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis to form a formidable trio, while Houston offers assets to tempt the Suns. In the East, the Pistons, Heat and Knicks are in the mix, each with picks and players to dangle.
Trading Durant could give Phoenix the draft capital and youth it desperately needs, especially with Devin Booker – still just 28 and the franchise’s all-time leading scorer – as its untouchable cornerstone. Durant’s injury a few weeks ago may have been his last moment in a Suns uniform. For Phoenix fans, the coming months promise drama, decisions, and perhaps a glimmer of hope amid the chaos.
