Suns Fire Frank Vogel

The Phoenix Suns have made their final decision on head coach Frank Vogel.

Mar 11, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Frank Vogel reacts during the second / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

PHOENIX -- After weeks of speculation, the Phoenix Suns are making their final decision on the future of head coach Frank Vogel.

Vogel is out, according to ESPN Adrian Wojnarowksi. The team also confirmed it:

“As we said at the press conference on May 1, team leadership including myself, Josh Bartelstein, and ownership would be looking across basketball operations to determine what changes needed to be made,” said Suns President of Basketball Operations and General Manager James Jones in a statement.

“After a thoughtful review of the season, we concluded that we needed a different head coach for our team. We appreciate Frank’s hard work and commitment. 

"We are here to win a championship and last season was way below our expectations. We will continue to evaluate our operation and make the necessary changes to reach our championship-caliber goals. We all take accountability, and it’s my job, along with Josh and ownership, to build a championship team.”

The news comes after Phoenix exited the first round of NBA postseason action in a 4-0 sweep from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Shortly after the Suns' departure from the playoffs - as Vogel was getting ready to speak to reporters during his post-game press conference in fact - The Athletic reported Phoenix would explore "all options" when it came to Vogel's job status while also highlighting some disconnect between him and the locker room.

Earlier in the day and ahead of Game 4, ESPN also reported Vogel's job was in "peril" before the Timberwolves put the final nail in Phoenix's coffin.

Vogel was brought in on a five-year, $31 million contract last offseason when the Suns decided to move on from then-coach Monty Williams.

There was hope Vogel's previous defensive prowess at Indiana and championship resume from the Lakers would bode well on a star-studded team that includes Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.

Rather, Phoenix struggled with injuries and inconsistency through most of the 2023-24 regular season, though the Suns mustered 49 wins and the West's No. 6 seed to avoid the play-in tournament.

“I thought Frank did a great job, given the circumstances," Suns GM James Jones said.

"We assembled a really talented team, primarily three scorers and whenever you're trying to get guys to adjust and adapt their games, there's a transition time. It's sometimes a struggle, but I thought he did a great job this year."

The Suns didn't commit to Vogel when speaking with reporters last week, though they wanted to remain patient when making a switch. Many believe their eyes were still on Clippers coach Ty Lue - a figure they coveted in last year's search for a head coach - though it appears Los Angeles is intent on keeping Lue around after their postseason exit.

Moving into the offseason, Phoenix is financially limited in areas they can improve their squad. They're in little control of future draft capital, have trade restrictions thanks to their positioning in the second apron of the luxury tax and can only sign outside free agents on veteran minimum deals.