The Phoenix Suns are on the lookout for a new head coach after they parted ways with Monty Williams on Saturday. The Suns have reportedly already shortlisted a few candidates for the vacancy, including Mike Budenholzer.
According to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, the Suns are putting together a list of candidates for the job that includes Budenholzer, now-former Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, and Phoenix assistant Kevin Young.
At the moment, Budenholzer is the odds favorite to become Phoenix’s next head coach. SportsBetting currently lists the one-time NBA title-winning head coach as a +250 favorite to fill the vacancy.
Budenholzer is coming off of a five-season run as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, where he led the team to a playoff appearance in each campaign. He guided Milwaukee to its second title in franchise history in the 2020-2021 campaign but then failed to lead the team back to the NBA Finals in each of the next two seasons.
The Bucks opted to dismiss Budenholzer days after the team’s playoff exit against the Miami Heat. He had two years left on the three-year extension deal that he signed off on in 2021.
As with the Bucks, the Suns have also failed to pull off a run to the NBA Finals after getting there two years ago. In the end, it was reportedly Suns owner Mat Ishbia who made the call to fire Williams after back-to-back second-round exits.
In the big picture, a crucial offseason sure awaits Phoenix.
Follow Us
Subscribe