Suns Owner Mat Ishbia Places Blame On Mike Budenholzer, Vows To Find Right Coach

Suns owner Mat Ishbia placed the blame for Phoenix’s disappointing season squarely on the shoulders of former head coach Mike Budenholzer, telling reporters that the franchise must get its next coaching hire right following a 36-46 season.

Budenholzer, hired last May to a five-year contract reportedly worth more than $50 million, was fired Monday after one year on the job. The Suns failed to reach the play-in tournament and finished with the franchise’s worst record since 2018.

“There’s a lot of reasons why Coach Bud is not here. I’m not going to get into all those reasons,” Ishbia said, via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. “But definitely believe we should’ve won a lot more games and been a lot more competitive during those games as well. Wish him the best, but it was the wrong coach for our organization and for that team, and at the end of the day, you can blame me for it because I’m the owner.”

Ishbia’s tenure since purchasing the team in 2023 has included frequent coaching changes. He parted ways with Monty Williams shortly after taking over and dismissed Frank Vogel last summer following a first-round playoff sweep.

Now, the focus shifts to a critical coaching search. Ishbia said he hopes to make a hire within the next two weeks and emphasized alignment between ownership, the front office, and the coaching staff.

“Our coach has to believe that stuff as well,” Ishbia said. “It can’t be, I believe this, and front office believes this, and the coach is like, ‘yeah, but I don’t care that the guys are cheering guys on’ and ‘I don’t care if the guys are paying attention in the huddle.’ That’s not going to do with us.”

General manager James Jones acknowledged the added benefit of having a head start on the search this time, even if it came at the cost of a failed season.

“I think it was evident given the time crunch and given where we were that it wasn’t as thorough or as deep of a search as we would like,” Jones said. “Fortunately for us, the season has ended early so it gives us more time to get this right. Unfortunately, the season ended too early, which means that we’re in this position.”

The Suns began the season strong, winning eight of their first nine games. But the momentum didn’t last. A February slump saw the team drop 11 of 14 games, and Phoenix closed the season with a 1-9 stretch, dashing any hopes of a postseason berth.

Defensive struggles plagued the Suns throughout the year. They finished 27th in defensive rating, something Ishbia said is unacceptable moving forward.

“That’s just not what we’re going to be about,” he said.

The team’s perceived lack of toughness was another sticking point for the owner, who stressed the need to bring in a coach who reflects the identity he wants to instill.

“We’re going to look for someone that fits the vision of Phoenix Suns basketball,” Ishbia said. “Someone who is a little bit grimy, a little bit grinder, a little bit tough. I joke, but it’s true, I’m no talent, all heart. That’s my life. I will just outwork everyone. I’m going to have a coach, a front office, players, that the Phoenix community will love because it’s going to be that.”