Vogel, who still had four years left on his contract, guided the Suns to a 49-33 record and the Western Conference’s six seed. With the context of Phoenix not having a healthy rotation until late December, it felt as if Vogel squeezed as much as he could out of the situation he was dealt. Phoenix Suns have officially parted ways with head coach Frank Vogel after just one season, the team announced Thursday.
His dismissal comes a week after Suns owner Mat Ishbia and General Manager James Jones conducted their end-of-season media session. During those interviews, they mentioned the front office would use this week to evaluate the pros and cons of the 2023-24 season and face tough decisions regarding the future.
Vogel was the first domino to fall. Phoenix was swept in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves and reports later surfaced of certain players not being thrilled with his offensive system.
With the same core returning next season and their superstars under contract long-term, perhaps this was the only move that made sense. It’s clear the front office knew something had to change, and it’s a much cleaner process to swap out coaches than drastically altering a roster that’s already hamstrung by large salaries and strict CBA rules.