The Phoenix Suns could fire head coach Mike Budenholzer in the offseason to appease stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, an NBA source told Hoops Wire.
Neither Durant nor Booker have a good relationship with Budenholzer, who is in his first season with the Suns.
Phoenix fired Frank Vogel after one season and hired Budenholzer, who ironically won the 2021 championship with the Milwaukee Bucks against the Suns.
Despite having Durant, Booker and Bradley Beal, the Suns are in 11th place in the Western Conference standings. They wouldn’t even make the play-in tournament if the season ended today.
Budenholzer’s group is 15th in the NBA in points per game, 22nd in points per game allowed, eighth in offensive rating, 27th in defensive rating and 19th in net rating.
Booker has spent his entire career with the Suns, while Durant was traded to Phoenix in February 2023.
The Golden State Warriors had a deal to acquire Durant at this year’s NBA trade deadline, but the future Hall of Famer blocked it because he didn’t want to get traded “midway through the season.”
“I just didn’t wanna get traded midway through the season,” Durant told NBA reporter Malika Andrews of ESPN. “It was nothing against my time with the Warriors. Or I heard it was because I don’t like Draymond (Green). At the end of the day, I just didn’t wanna move and I wanted to see it through with my team in Phoenix and see what we can do through the rest of the season. So I’m glad I’m still there.”
Most people believe Durant will be traded this summer, but sources told Hoops Wire that the two-time Finals MVP enjoys playing with Booker and living in Phoenix. If Budenholzer is fired and the Suns hire a coach Durant and Booker sign off on, Durant may actually remain in the desert.
A two-time Finals MVP, Durant will make $54.7 million next season in the final year of his contract. According to NBA insider Tim MacMahon of ESPN, the Suns will consult Durant on any trade discussions involving him this summer.
Phoenix drafted Booker with the 13th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. The Kentucky product is the Suns’ all-time leading scorer and has no plans to request a trade.
“I mean, it’s a rare breed,” Booker told MacMahon. “I take pride in the community in Phoenix, the people that have supported me since I was 18 when things were ugly. And the people that are with us, we just fell short of accomplishing what we want. So I want to do it, and I want to do it here. That’s the responsibility of being a franchise player, and I wear that with honor. So it might not look the most pretty right now, but we got to get it done and I’m going to do it.”
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