The Phoenix Suns are swiftly implementing changes after being knocked out of the 2024 NBA Playoffs in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves via a resounding sweep.

Head coach Frank Vogel has been let go after just one season at the helm, during which the Suns secured a sixth-place finish in the Western Conference with a 49-33 record in the 2023-24 season.

The Suns are wasting no time searching for a replacement and are seriously considering Mike Budenholzer, who used to helm the Milwaukee Bucks.

The 54-year-old tactician guided Milwaukee from 2018 to 2023, during which they clinched the 2021 NBA Championship, notably defeating the Suns. Before his tenure with the Bucks, he coached the Atlanta Hawks from 2013 to 2018.

Phoenix has set its sights on Budenholzer, and negotiations are anticipated to progress rapidly, according to ESPN league insider Adrian Wojnarowski.

Budenholzer has been preparing to form a coaching staff for his return to a head coaching position.

Mike Budenholzer's track record of success

Budenholzer boasts a solid track record beyond the 2021 NBA Championship victory.

He emerged from Gregg Popovich's coaching lineage, wherein he was an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs from 1996 to 2013.

The Arizona native has also won the NBA Coach of the Year award twice, in 2015 and 2019, and the NBCA Coach of the Year accolade in 2019 and 2020.