Phoenix fired Mike Budenholzer after one season as head coach following a 36-46 finish and a place outside the play-in tournament.
The Suns announced the decision on 14 April 2025, one day after ending the season 11th in the Western Conference. Budenholzer became the third Phoenix coach dismissed in three years.
Promising start gives way to a collapse
Phoenix opened the season with eight wins in nine games but could not sustain that form. The Suns lost eight consecutive games from 26 March to 9 April, all by double figures, as their postseason hopes disappeared.
A win over San Antonio on 11 April was their only victory in the final 10 games. They closed the campaign with a loss at Sacramento.
It was Phoenix’s first season without a playoff appearance since 2019-20.
Suns say their season fell below expectations
“Competing at the highest level remains our goal, and we failed to meet expectations this season,” the team said in a statement. “Our fans deserve better. Change is needed.”
The Suns missed the postseason despite carrying the NBA’s largest payroll and building around Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.
Budenholzer had signed a five-year contract in May 2024. His removal continued the rapid turnover that followed the dismissals of Monty Williams in 2023 and Frank Vogel in 2024.
Budenholzer lasts one season in Phoenix
Phoenix hired Budenholzer after Vogel’s only season ended with a first-round sweep. Budenholzer had previously spent five years with Milwaukee and coached the Bucks to the 2021 NBA championship.
That record was not enough to save him after a season in which the Suns’ expensive roster failed to reach even the play-in. Phoenix entered another offseason needing both a fourth head coach in four seasons and a wider answer for a team that had fallen well short of its title ambitions.
