- Team were swept in playoffs by Minnesota Timberwolves
- Suns’ All-Star trio unable to gel under Vogel’s leadership
The Phoenix Suns have fired coach Frank Vogel after one disappointing season.
The team made the announcement on Thursday, less than two weeks after getting swept out of the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Before that series, Vogel had said he was confident of returning to the team next season.
“As we said at the press conference on May 1, team leadership including myself, Josh Bartelstein, and ownership would be looking across basketball operations to determine what changes needed to be made,” Suns general manager James Jones said in a statement. “After a thoughtful review of the season, we concluded that we needed a different head coach for our team. We appreciate Frank’s hard work and commitment.”
Vogel was hired last summer to lead the Suns’ All-Star trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, but the group was never quite able to gel. Beal was hurt for much of the first half of the season, but even when he returned, the Suns were plagued by turnovers and a thin bench.
The Suns finished the regular season with a 49-33 record. Vogel won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.
