The Phoenix Suns fired head coach Mike Budenholzer following a disastrous 36-46 campaign. Carrying the most expensive payroll in the NBA, the Suns already hired Jordan Ott as head coach for the 2025/26 season, and are not currently searching for a coach.
Firing a coach with three years left on a massive deal highlights pure organizational panic. Budenholzer secured a five-year, $50 million contract just two years ago, stepping in exactly one day after the team dismissed Frank Vogel. Vogel had previously dragged the roster to a playoff berth, but management demanded immediate championship contention. Now, they are paying two different fired coaches while sitting at home during the Conference Semi-Finals. The math simply does not work. The team finished with the league’s ninth-ranked defense. Without reliable point-of-attack defenders, switching schemes fell apart on the perimeter. Opposing offenses easily broke down defenders one-on-one to kick it out for open threes. They failed to lock down the paint when it mattered most.
The financial damage severely limits their summer flexibility. The financial constraints are correctly attributed to the $23.2MM in dead money from Bradley Beal’s stretch provision. This forces the front office into a corner. The team hired Jordan Ott and the roster became younger after shedding Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. The rest of the league is advancing through the playoffs, using cap space and deep rotations to survive. Phoenix is stuck in neutral. Rival executives are already watching to see if the front office hits the panic button and breaks up the core. They need a miracle worker on the sidelines. The team had defensive buy-in and played with toughness under Ott. Until then, the most expensive roster in basketball remains a cautionary tale of mismatched parts and rushed decisions.
