Suns fire coach Frank Vogel after being swept in first round - ESPN

The Phoenix Suns fired head coach Frank Vogel on Thursday, 11 days after the team was swept out of the postseason's first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Former Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer is the Suns' target to replace Vogel and talks are expected to move quickly, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Budenholzer has been working to assemble a coaching staff for a return to a head coaching job and that process is also gathering momentum, sources said.

Frank Vogel's 49 wins with the Suns is tied for the second most by a coach in what was his only season with the franchise:

«As we said at the press conference on May 1, team leadership including myself, Josh Bartelstein, and ownership would be looking across basketball operations to determine what changes needed to be made,» Suns general manager James Jones said in a statement. «After a thoughtful review of the season, we concluded that we needed a different head coach for our team. We appreciate Frank's hard work and commitment.»

The Suns underperformed in Vogel's lone season at the helm, especially given the caliber of talent in stars Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. The latter two were acquisitions after owner Mat Ishbia took over the team in February 2023.

Vogel, who went 49-33 in Phoenix, was signed to a five-year, $31 million deal in June 2023. He succeeded Monty Williams, who was fired after the team's Western Conference semifinals loss to the Denver Nuggets. Following the 122-116 loss in Game 4 to the Timberwolves on April 28, the Suns have now lost six straight playoff games — the longest playoff losing streak in franchise history.

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