On May 11, Beijing time, according to The Athletic, the Suns will hire former Bucks championship coach Budenholzer as head coach, and the annual salary is expected to be close to eight figures.
The Suns will also offer a new management position to current head assistant David Fitzdale, but sources with knowledge of Fitzdale say he is not expected to accept the position at this time.
Previously, the Suns had fired head coach Vogel, and the team had a 49-33 record this season and was swept out of the first round by the Timberwolves.
Budenholzer soon became the main candidate to replace Vogel and was eventually hammered out as the next manager. He led the Bucks to the 2021 NBA Championship and won the division in each of his five seasons in Milwaukee.
At Phoenix with the Suns, Budenholzer will be tasked with optimizing the Big Three of Booker, Durant and Beal. There was frustration in the locker room during Vogel's tenure, as injuries hampered the Big Three, and a lack of bench depth hurt the Suns in the playoffs.
The effective use of Booker, Durant and Beal remains a top priority for the Suns, and next season, the Big Three will have a salary of $150 million. Suns reporter Doug Haller and Bucks reporter Eric Nemm break down Budenholzer's tenure with the Suns.
He has a lot of connections to Phoenix
Budenholzer grew up in Holbrook, Arizona, a town of about 5,000 people about a three-hour drive from Phoenix. Budenholzer has been a Suns fan since he was a child, practicing the signature moves of Suns players in his own backyard. Budenholzer has been linked to the Suns since entering the NBA.
At the age of 54, he was offered the opportunity to coach the Suns. The Suns had a poor season last season, winning 49 games in the regular season. The list needs to be optimized. The Suns lacked a true point guard, defensive finisher, and depth last season, and given their top-heavy salary structure, these issues were difficult to solve. But the Big Three is a good place to start, and that advantage needs to be maximized.
Budenholzer studied under Popovich and is an important representative of the Spurs coaching system. He has a wealth of experience coaching stars and that will pay off here. He also has a strong offensive background. His team relies on space and ball movement and can make a lot of three-pointers. These are all reasons why he ultimately earned the trust of the Suns' management.
Whether the Suns can win a championship with such a lineup is debatable, but it's too early to tear it apart and start over. This hire gives the Big Three another chance, but perhaps one last.
Will he be able to tap into the sun's potential?
In 2021, Budenholzer led the Bucks to their first NBA championship since 1971, and he assembled a stellar system that included Antetokounmpo, Holiday and Middleton. At Phoenix, he will be expected to do the same with Bill, Booker and Durant. One thing both trios have in common is that they don't have a true pass-first point guard, and of course, the Suns don't have a player who can provide the physical advantage of their brother. So it's going to be an interesting attempt for Budenholzer on the offensive end.
While Budenholzer has long been regarded as an innovative offensive mind, his squad strength has often been built around strong defensive units, and Budenholzer's teams are usually in the top 10 in defensive efficiency. It will be an even tougher test for the Suns, as none of the team's Big Three are being called elite defenders at this stage of their careers, and although Durant has shown that ability throughout his career, Booker and Beal have been average defensively.
For Budenholzer, for the Suns to finish in the championship, the team will need a complete tactical makeover, and he needs to find a way to make the most of all three members of the Big Three while keeping them healthy all season. It was perhaps the toughest test of his career so far.
Budenholzer was named Head Coach of the Year for the first time in 2014-15 and again in 2018-19. In the 2020-21 season, Bu Shuai led the Bucks to win the championship. He has coached 801 regular-season games with a 484-317 winning percentage of 60.4 percent and 104 playoff games with a 56-48 winning percentage of 53.8 percent. Are you optimistic about the performance of Bu Shuai in coaching the Suns? Feel free to leave a message to express your opinions.