The Phoenix Suns fired head coach Frank Vogel on Thursday. Adrian Wojnarowski quickly identified a favorite to fill the vacancy.
According to the ESPN insider, Mike Budenholzer is the frontrunner to replace Vogel. Wojnarowski said the former Milwaukee Bucks head coach will be a “prominent part” of Phoenix’s search.
Budenholzer won four championships as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs. After 17 seasons on Gregg Popovich’s staff, he landed his first head coaching job with the Atlanta Hawks in 2013.
The Hawks won 60 games and made the Eastern Conference Finals in Budenholzer’s second season. After leading them to four straight playoff appearances, he was fired following a 24-58 season in 2017-18.
Budenholzer quickly landed on his feet in Milwaukee. He again won 60 games and reached the Eastern Conference Finals in his first season.
Two years later, the Bucks defeated Phoenix in the 2021 NBA Finals to win their first championship since 1971.
However, that title didn’t afford him too much leeway. Despite leading Milwaukee to a 58-win season, the organization fired Budenholzer last year after a first-loss to the No. 8-seed Miami Heat.
Vogel, who won a 2020 championship with the Los Angeles Lakers, met a similar fate Thursday.
The Suns dismissed Vogel after his first season ended with an opening-round sweep against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They had high hopes after ransacking the roster to build a star-studded trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal.
Budenholzer would have the top-tier talent to compete for another title in Phoenix, but Vogel could probably warn him about a lack of job security. The Suns have not retained a head coach for five seasons since John MacLeod from 1973 to 1987.