Suns closing in on Budenholzer hire, sources say

Mike Budenholzer is closing in on a deal to become the Phoenix Suns‘ next coach and a formal agreement is expected to be in place soon, sources told ESPN on Friday.

The Suns and Budenholzer expect that he’ll be accompanying the team to the NBA draft combine in Chicago that begins this weekend, and work on a coaching staff already has begun, sources said.

The Suns fired coach Frank Vogel on Thursday after one season as a coach.

The Suns went 49-33 in the regular season, then were swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs.

The looming hiring of Budenholzer comes with significant pressure and expectations for the team. The roster has been constructed around Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, bringing championship aspirations and a slim margin for error.

Budenholzer is poised to become the franchise’s third head coach in three seasons, a run that has included owner Mat Ishbia firing Monty Williams and Vogel in successive years. Vogel had four years left on his contract, and the cost of a $200 million-plus payroll only gets steeper with the $20 million-plus left on Vogel’s deal and what’s expected to be a substantial deal for the most accomplished head-coaching candidate available in the marketplace.

Budenholzer is from Arizona, and his late father was a well-regarded high school coach in the state. Budenholzer won the 2021 NBA championship with the Bucks. He had a 271-120 (.693) record in five seasons in Milwaukee and a 213-197 (.520) record in his previous years with the Atlanta Hawks.

Budenholzer, 54, is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, winning for the 2014-15 and 2018-19 seasons.