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[Saba Sports News] Mike Budenholzer’s return to head coaching is off to a rocky start.
A critical report surfaced Friday regarding the Phoenix Suns head coach.
Speaking on his Burns & Gambo radio show, longtime Phoenix sportswriter John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM claimed that Budenholzer has been “miserable” to work with behind the scenes this season.
“Mike Budenholzer has done a terrible job,” Gambadoro said.
“To me, it looks like he’s disinterested in coaching this basketball team. From everything I hear in the organization, from people that are around [it], he is miserable to deal with. MISERABLE to deal with.”
This report comes on the heels of another revelation from veteran NBA insider Chris Haynes, who reported that Budenholzer recently pulled Suns star Devin Booker aside to complain that he was being too vocal on the court and in timeout huddles—an interaction that reportedly left Booker “completely shocked.”
Despite having the NBA’s highest payroll at $220 million (plus nearly $200 million in luxury tax), the Suns have stumbled to a disappointing 27-32 record under Budenholzer.
That leaves them outside even the play-in tournament picture, with little production beyond Kevin Durant (26.9 PPG) and Booker (26.4 PPG, 6.9 APG).
Phoenix ranks 27th in defensive efficiency and has lost seven of its last eight games, with a brutal closing schedule ahead.
The team’s future isn’t much brighter. Their 2025 first-round pick belongs to Houston, and they’ve already traded away multiple future draft assets.
Meanwhile, Durant is reportedly growing frustrated with the Suns and could be on the move this offseason.
Budenholzer, a two-time NBA Coach of the Year and the architect of Milwaukee’s 2021 championship run, has had past issues working with certain players. Now, with tensions rising in Phoenix, his tenure with the Suns is looking increasingly shaky.