Suns fire coach Vogel after 1st-round playoff sweep, Bucks' Beverley suspended 4 games

Frank Vogel's tenure as coach of the Phoenix Suns is done after one disappointing season that ended without a playoff victory.

The franchise fired the 50-year-old Vogel on Thursday, less than two weeks after getting swept out of the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"After a thoughtful review of the season, we concluded that we needed a different head coach for our team," Suns general manager James Jones said in a statement. "We appreciate Frank's hard work and commitment."

Vogel was hired last summer with much fanfare and charged with leading the Suns' All-Star trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. The group had some good moments, but was never quite able to gel.

Beal was hurt for much of the first half of the season. Even when he returned, the Suns were plagued by turnovers and a thin bench. Vogel said before Game 4 against the Wolves that he's "got the full support of [owner] Mat Ishbia" and expected to be back for a second season.

Now he's out of a job.

ESPN Sources: The Phoenix Suns dismissed coach Frank Vogel. The Suns — who won 49 regular-season games with league’s third-highest payroll and tax — were swept in opening-round series to Timberwolves. Mike Budenholzer will be prominent part of search. <a href="https://t.co/SDTRkXxkrG">pic.twitter.com/SDTRkXxkrG</a>

Vogel always seemed like a strange fit for the Suns, even though he won a championship with the Lakers in 2020 in the Florida bubble. He was a defensive-minded coach in charge of a team that's strength was offence. All season, it felt like the coach was searching for answers.

"You reflect back on the season, we were just inconsistent with our play and the style of play that we wanted," Durant said after the