As a whole, the 2024-25 season was disastrous for the Suns. Phoenix had the highest payroll in the NBA. Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal had cap hits of at least $49 million.
After a 36-46 finish, the Suns fired head coach Mike Budenholzer. He’s a former championship head coach with Milwaukee and lasted one year in Phoenix. According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, Suns’ Bradley Beal had a problem with Budenholzer. The former Suns head coach asked Beal to play like his former player, Jrue Holiday. Beal was “disrespected” when Budenholzer said that.
Mike Budenholzer asked Bradley Beal to play like Jrue Holiday
In 2024-25, several events led to the firing of Mike Budenholzer. Earlier in the year, Budenholzer asked Booker to be less vocal with the team. The former coach wanted to get his message across without Booker chiming in. This did not sit well with Booker, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer and 10-year NBA veteran. That’s just one instance of Mike Budenholzer losing support from Booker and other players on the roster.
On Monday night, NBA insider Chris Haynes had a report about Bradley Beal and Mike Budenholzer. Haynes explained how Budenholzer asked Beal to be the Jrue Holiday of this Suns’ team. That message was not received how Budenholzer intended. Beal explained how he felt “disrespected” and said, “Don’t ever tell me to play like another player.”
Bradley Beal and Jrue Holiday are dissimilar. At his best, Bradley Beal averaged 30+ points per game for two consecutive seasons. Jrue Holiday has averaged 20+ points per game once in his career. On the flip side, Holiday is one of the best pound-for-pound defenders in the NBA. Beal is average at best on the defensive end. Both players have their strengths and weaknesses. Mike Budenholzer asking Beal to play like Holiday did not work out how he intended. That’s why Budenholzer is out of a job and the Suns will have their fourth head coach in as many seasons.