The Phoenix Suns have parted ways with head coach Frank Vogel after just one season in charge. The Suns were expected to be among the teams contending for a championship. Despite winning 49 games, Phoenix’s season was marred by injuries and a lack of cohesiveness.
The Minnesota Timberwolves made it look easy against Phoenix, sweeping them in the first round of the playoffs. The Timberwolves’ average margin of victory in the series was 15 points.
Phoenix Suns Make Frank Vogel Decision
JUST IN: The Suns will be firing head coach Frank Vogel after being swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves, league sources confirmed to @ClutchPoints.
Vogel lead the Suns to a 49-33 record in his first season with the organization. pic.twitter.com/pXuDXC48sl
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) May 9, 2024
Frank Vogel Unable to Meet Suns Lofty Expectations
Phoenix owner Mat Ishbia’s actions in the past have made it clear that he is not afraid to make big changes within the organization.
Since purchasing the Suns from previous and highly disgraced owner Robert Sarver, Ishbia traded away almost all of the team’s future in order to win now.
Out the door went Chris Paul, Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, DeAndre Ayton, four first round picks, and further draft capital. In came Jusuf Nurkić, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal.
Adding one of the greatest players of all time in Durant and an established All-Star in Beal immediately brought forth championship expectations.
Vogel was then brought in to commandeer the top-heavy roster. Prior to his one-season stay in Phoenix, Vogel had coached the Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic, and Los Angeles Lakers.
The 50-year-old’s championship pedigree, having coached the Lakers to the 2020 title in the NBA bubble, attracted Ishbia. On paper, all the moves the Suns owner had engineered looked to be home runs.
However, things did not go according to plan. Beal missed 29 games, while Booker missed 14. Despite Durant’s otherworldly abilities, the reality is that this is the beginning of the end of his career. The 35-year-old is unable to will a team to victory by himself anymore. Yet Ishbia was not perturbed by the prospect of a failed gamble.
“If we don’t win this year … which is possible… then we’ll say, ‘OK, what can we do better to try to win next year? Do I need to adjust? Do we need to run different plays? Do we need different players? Do [we] change something? What do I do?…All I’m focused on is how do we win right now. I’m not thinking about what our 2031 draft [is] going to look like. I’m excited about the 2024 playoffs.”
Suns Future After Frank Vogel
The Suns will more than likely attempt to build a contender yet again around Durant, Beal, and Booker. All three are locked in to massive deals through the 2025-2026 season. Durant’s reputation will garner plenty of rumors surrounding a trade.
Kevin Durant never felt comfortable with his role in Phoenix’s offense alongside Devin Booker and Bradley Beal this season, per @ShamsCharania
“Those sources said Durant had persistent issues with the offense, feeling that he was being relegated to the corner far too often and… pic.twitter.com/Q2Wpq4a85D
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 29, 2024
However, if Ishbia’s words are sincere, it’s hard to envision a scenario in which Phoenix is willing to let cut their losses and trade Durant for a much smaller price than they paid for him.
