One shocking rumor suggests that there could be bigger changes on the horizon for the Phoenix Suns than just trading Kevin Durant.
As the Phoenix Suns continue to fight for their postseason lives, currently sitting three games back of the 10th seed in the Western Conference, it's beginning to look more and more like this "lost" or "forgettable" season is going to lead to big changes for the team heading into the offseason - especially if their pursuits for the playoffs fall short. While there's a growing expectation that those changes will begin with a potential trade of Kevin Durant, that could only end up being the tip of the iceberg for the Suns this summer. In fact, if the recent reporting is accurate, there could be another big change awaiting the team this offseason.
According to a recent report, there could be a growing issue for the Suns at the head coach position. As the Suns continue to struggle as a team, head coach Mike Budenholzer and star Devin Booker may not be seeing eye to eye. Per this report, coach Budenholzer asked Booker in a meeting to "tone it down vocally," and Booker was taken aback by the exchange.
There has been an attempt to quiet the noise surrounding this recent reporting, but the damage may already be done. To be quite honest, with how much the Suns have struggled this season, this is not even all that surprising. For how disappointing the Suns have been, there are likely going to be several scapegoats for their struggles.
More often than not, it usually begins with the coaching. Even though coach Budenholzer is just in his first year in Phoenix, he's going to take a good amount of blame for how much the Suns fell short of expectations this season. That doesn't mean the players are guilt-free, but many times in the league, coaches are the easiest to blame in these types of situations.
How will the Phoenix Suns decide the fate for head coach Mike Budenholzer?
And if Booker (and perhaps even the other star players on this team) is not happy with the job that Budenholzer has done this season, I wouldn't expect the front office to deviate from that much. The big question for the Suns heading into the offseason is, what does this all mean for both the team and Budenholzer moving forward?
The Suns have fired a head coach each of the last two offseason - Monty Williams in 2023 and Frank Vogel in 2024. Would the team make another head coaching change during the 2025 NBA offseason? If so, that would make three straight years in which the Suns fire a coach. That's not ideal for any franchise.
Nevertheless, at least at this point, that's not something that can be considered completely off the table. The Suns are preparing for an offseason that is likely going to be full of change. With how things continue to evolve, I'd say there's a very good chance that the Suns will look very different at the start of the 2025-26 NBA season. That may or may not include a new head coach leading the way.