The Phoenix Suns have been meeting with Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer over the last few days, and according to Adrian Wojnarowski, are expected to decide whether he'll become their new head coach starting in the 2017-18 season.
Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer has been meeting with Phoenix Suns management and ownership on Monday and Tuesday, and a sense is expected to emerge soon whether there is a pathway to Budenholzer becoming the Suns’ next head coach, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 18, 2018
The coach, who hails from Holbrook, Arizona, has two years left on his contract worth a little over $14 million. He was brought to the Hawks in 2013 after 17 years as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs under Gregg Popovich. He won 38 games with Atlanta in his inaugural season as a head coach, and followed that up with a 60-win season in 2014-15, which saw the Hawks have four All-Stars.
The Hawks were unable to win in the postseason, and slowly started losing key rotation players in DeMarre Carroll, Al Horford, Kyle Korver, and Paul Millsap. Budenholzer wants to join a team ready to win, and the Hawks are not in that position at this moment.
Phoenix, on the other hand, has a solid young core with a couple of picks in the 2018 NBA Draft. The Suns hold the best odds at getting the number one overall pick, which they could select a guy like DeAndre Ayton, Luka Doncic, or Marvin Bagley III. Pairing one of those guys alongside Devin Booker and Josh Jackson would certainly present an intriguing young core to work with.
The Suns are coming off a 21-61 record, and are really looking to start winning again.
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