Despite rumors of his future in Phoenix, Suns first-year coach Frank Vogel told reporters today that he is “very” confident he will be back for a second season with the team.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!“I’ve got the full support of Mat Ishbia,” Vogel added before the Suns take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first-round series down 3-0.
#Suns coach Frank Vogel said he is "very" confident he will back for a second season
"I've got the full support of Mat Ishbia"
— Brendan Mau (@brendan_mau) April 28, 2024
“(There’s) increasing belief around the league that Frank Vogel’s job is in peril if this team loses, especially as abruptly as they might in a sweep, as dispirited as they looked in Game 3,” Wojnarowski said.
With the Suns on the brink of elimination, there are several questions regarding next season and beyond for the team having mortgaged their entire future for their core.
They are projected to have the highest tax bill in the NBA next season after signing Grayson Allen to a four-year, $70-million extension a couple weeks ago. Ishbia has proven time and time again he is willing to spend whatever amount for betterment of the team in hopes of them being a title contender.
Phoenix has virtually no assets, having traded or swapped all of their first-round picks until 2030. They only own one second-round pick in this timeframe: a 2028 pick from the Boston Celtics (protected 31-45).
Vogel was hired on June 2 after the Suns fired Monty Williams on May 13, two days after their Game 6 loss in the second round to the Denver Nuggets.
Phoenix finished Vogel’s first regular season with a 49-33 record, which was good for the No. 6 seed in the West. The Suns will already be losing Vogel’s lead assistant Kevin Young after the season after he was hired to be the next head coach at BYU.
Yesterday, Kevin Durant said in practice that Vogel is their leader.
“We all speak up and talk, but the leader is the coach,” Durant said.
Fans seem to have lost all confidence in Vogel after the way the Suns have underachieved this season. In Game 3’s 126-109 loss, a faint “Fire Vogel” chant was heard in the fourth quarter at Footprint Center.
Ishbia is the ultimate deciding factor in this, so we will see what changes end up being made at the conclusion of the season.
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
