What Should Suns do With Frank Vogel?

The Suns' season has officially closed - what's next?

Apr 28, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns head coach Frank Vogel looks on Monday during the / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

PHOENIX -- The 2023-24 Phoenix Suns are no more.

Despite showing the most fight they had all series coupled with vintage Devin Booker and Kevin Durant performances - it simply wasn't enough in their Game 4 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Suns will now have several uncomfortable months of waiting before next season commences and will have to dwell on what got them to this point.

One of the highest priorities? Mat Ishbia deciding what head coach Frank Vogel's fate is.

Vogel has done a phenomenal job on some fronts - such as coaching the defense above the means the roster presented this season.

Over the weekend, however, ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski shed serious doubts on the status of Vogel heading into what was seen as a certain first-round exit.

The Athletic's Shams Carania went into even more detail following the loss to Minnesota in Game 4 - even stating that various Suns players were taken aback by Vogel's approach at halftime of the Suns' 105-92 loss on April 9 at the hands of the L.A. Clippers.

Charania also expanded on Durant's reluctance to take on a role out of his usual comfort zone - which can easily be tied to the perceived disconnect between Vogel and associate head coach Kevin Young that has appeared to be a season-long issue.

So, what should Ishbia do?

The answer isn't that simple.

The Suns did have one of the most disappointing campaigns for any team in NBA history. Vogel has potentially lost the locker room - and is also potentially not the right fit for the vision of Ishbia.

Ultimately, he is still a battle-tested coach that has won an NBA title with a similarly top-heavy roster. He has been a successful head coach for over a decade. He could assemble a staff that better suits this roster construction in a quest to regain the respect of some in the locker room.

Ultimately, the Suns and Ishbia should likely lean towards making a change - it just feels like a good coach, wrong situation predicament that should be quelled before anything else can go wrong. Vogel is a capable coach and ultimately should get another chance in the league, but the Suns just feel like the wrong team for him.

Don't be surprised at either end of the spectrum of possible outcomes nonetheless.

We very well could be looking at year 2 of coach Vogel. We just as easily could be looking at the first coach Tyronn Lue just weeks from now as well.

The Suns will return in late September for training camp.