Suns fire Frank Vogel after one season, first-round playoff exit

Field Level Media|published: Thu 9th May, 16:53 2024

Apr 9, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Frank Vogel reacts during the second quarter of the game against the LA Clippers at Footprint Center. credits: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Frank Vogel is out as head coach of the Phoenix Suns after a 49-win regular season was overshadowed by a first-round playoff sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"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 president of basketball operations and general manager James Jones said in a statement Thursday. "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.

"We are here to win a championship and last season was way below our expectations. We will continue to evaluate our operation and make the necessary changes to reach our championship-caliber goals. We all take accountability, and it's my job, along with Josh and ownership, to build a championship team."

One season into his latest tenure as head coach, Vogel helped Phoenix and a triumvirate of All-Stars — Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and newcomer Bradley Beal — challenge the 50-win mark despite injuries that disrupted the lineup regularly.

He replaced Monty Williams, who was fired last season following a loss in the conference semifinals and hired as the Detroit Pistons' head coach.

ESPN and The Athletic reported former Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer — on the bench when Milwaukee beat Williams and the Suns in the 2021 NBA Finals — was the favorite to take over in Phoenix.

Vogel, 50, has 902 career regular-season victories as head coach of the Indiana Pacers (2010-2016), Orlando Magic (2016-2018), Los Angeles Lakers (2019-2022) and Suns.

—Field Level Media