Frank Vogel’s tenure as coach of the Phoenix Suns is done after one disappointing season that ended without a playoff victory.
The franchise fired the 50-year-old Vogel on Thursday, less than two weeks after getting swept out of the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“After a thoughtful review of the season, we concluded that we needed a different head coach for our team,’ Suns general manager James Jones said in a statement. ‘We appreciate Frank’s hard work and commitment.’
Phoenix entered the season with NBA championship hopes after acquiring All-Star Bradley Beal last summer to combine with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker for a superstar scoring trio. Instead, the group never appeared to fully jell on court. The Suns dealt with injuries to all three stars and became the first NBA team eliminated from this year’s playoffs.
Vogel said before Game 4 against the Wolves that he’s “got the full support of (owner) Mat Ishbia” and expected to be back for a second season.
Now he’s out of a job.
Ishbia has been unafraid to make big changes in his 1 1/2 years leading the franchise. He dealt for Durant at the trade deadline last season, blowing up a roster that had made the Finals in 2021. He also fired coach Monty Williams and added Beal last summer in another huge trade.
Now the franchise will be looking for their third head coach in three seasons.
“We are here to win a championship and last season was way below our expectations,” Jones said. “We will continue to evaluate our operation and make the necessary changes to reach our championship-caliber goals. We all take accountability, and it’s my job, along with Josh and ownership, to build a championship team.”
Jones doesn’t have much room to maneuver with the roster under the league’s salary cap unless major changes are made. Durant, Booker and Beal all have big salaries and Grayson Allen just received a $70 million, four-year extension.
The Suns finished the regular season with a 49-33 record, earning the No. 6 seed to narrowly avoid the play-in tournament.
Vogel was previously the head coach of the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers, leading the Pacers to two Eastern Conference Finals trips and the Lakers to the 2019-20 NBA title.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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