The Phoenix Suns fired Frank Vogel on Thursday, and it appears they already had a replacement lined up when they made the move.
Immediately after the Suns fired Vogel, reports surfaced that Budenholzer was their top target. The 54-year-old had drawn interest from multiple teams after he took a year off from coaching last season.
Budenholzer last coached the Milwaukee Bucks from 2018-2023 and won a championship with the team in 2021. He coached the Atlanta Hawks for five seasons before that.
The Suns went 49-33 in their lone season under Vogel and were swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round of the playoffs. There has been talk of them potentially trading a star player this offseason, but they are more likely to build out their bench and hope Budenholzer can get more from their Big Three than Vogel did.