Mike Budenholzer spoke for the first time since taking over as head coach of the Suns on Friday in his intro presser. According to ESPN, Budenholzer was emotional when talking through his childhood in Arizona.
“It’s mind-boggling to me, like mind-blowing, to think that I’m going to be the head coach of the Phoenix Suns,” Budenholzer said.
A one-time champion as coach of the Bucks, Budenholzer is tasked with leading a franchise with three supermax players in Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal and Devin Booker. That group went 49-33 last season and was swept in the playoffs under former head coach Frank Vogel.
“I’m excited about working with this roster and these players,” Budenholzer said. “We have great players. And with great players come great expectations. I think we embrace that.”
Budenholzer didn’t coach last year after being dismissed by the Bucks. He has a 484-317 coaching record over a 10-season coaching career.
“This year, for me, was really healthy,” Budenholzer said. “I kind of had a list of priorities, diving into my kids and my family, super important. We’ve been through a lot. So really, the time with my kids was just amazing. My son’s a senior in high school — going to every one of his games — driving home you’re like, ‘Wow, I got a gift.”
We have more from the Suns:
- With the Suns maintaining a “championship or bust” mentality, Budenholzer isn’t necessarily safe for the long run despite the hefty five-year, $50MM contract he signed, Duane Rankin of Arizona Republic writes. Rankin lists eight conversations Budenholzer needs to have with Phoenix brass, including why he needs to have more say in the team’s roster construction than his predecessors.
- The Suns are closing in on hiring Nets executive Matt Tellem to the team’s front office, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link). Tellem began as a basketball information coordinator in 2011 and was promoted to vice president of strategy for Brooklyn in 2023. He also served as general manager of the Long Island Nets from 2019-23.
- Appearing on The Burns & Gambo Show, Suns general manager James Jones said there is no scenario in which Beal, Durant and Booker are traded this summer (Twitter link via John Gambadoro). With Phoenix lacking flexibility and draft picks to make major moves for a roster that was swept this postseason, some speculation emerged about the futures of Phoenix’s star players. However, Jones seems to be shutting this down, at least for now. A recent report from ESPN suggested this would be the case for Phoenix.