Phoenix Suns fire Frank Vogel after early playoff exit in coach’s first season

Frank Vogel’s tenure as coach of the Phoenix Suns is over after a disappointing season that ended without a playoff win.

The franchise fired the 50-year-old Vogel on Thursday, less than two weeks after the Suns were swept out of the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“After a thoughtful review of the season, we concluded we needed another head coach for our team,” Suns general manager James Jones said in a statement. “We appreciate Frank’s hard work and commitment.”

Vogel was hired with much fanfare last summer and charged with leading the Suns’ All-Star trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. The group had some good moments, but never quite managed to gel.

Beal was injured for much of the first half of the season. Even when he returned, the Suns were plagued by turnovers and a thin bench. Vogel said before Game 4 against the Wolves that he had “the full support of [owner] Mat Ishbia” and is expected to be back for a second season.

Ishbia has not been afraid to make big changes in his 18 months leading the franchise. Last season, he traded for Durant at the trade deadline, blowing up a roster that had made it to the 2021 NBA Finals. He also fired coach Monty Williams and added Beal in another major trade last summer.

Now the franchise will be looking for their third head coach in three seasons.

“We are here to win a championship and last season was way below our expectations,” Jones said. “We will continue to review our operations and make the necessary changes to achieve our championship level objectives. We all take responsibility, and my job, along with Josh and ownership, is to build a championship team.”

Jones doesn’t have much room to maneuver with the roster under the league’s salary cap unless major changes are made. Durant, Booker and Beal all have high salaries and Grayson Allen just got a four-year, $70 million extension.

The Suns finished the regular season with a 49–33 record, earning the No. 6 seed to narrowly avoid the play-in tournament.

Vogel won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. He has a 480-422 record over 12 seasons with the Pacers, Lakers and Suns.