Mike Budenholzer contract details: Suns officially name new head coach

Two-time NBA Coach of the Year Mike Budenholzer rapidly emerged as the frontrunner to become the next head coach of the Phoenix Suns not even an hour after Frank Vogel was relieved of his duties. They were feet from the hiring finish line on the same day.

Now the two sides officially agreed to a deal on Friday afternoon, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Sharania reports that Budenholzer will become the new head coach of the Suns on a five-year, "$50-plus million deal" that brings the Arizona native (born in Holbrook) to Phoenix, making him among the highest-paid sideline generals in the Association.

Suns finalize deal to make Mike Budenholzer new HC

The Suns dismissed Vogel after one season in Phoenix in which he guided the team to a 49-33 record and No. 6 seed in a competitive Western Conference, only to be swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs. Now, Budenholzer must live up to the lofty expectations of team owner Mat Ishbia, who has sunk a lot of money and draft capital into the current iteration of the roster.

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports notes that one of the traits that "stood out" to the Suns about Budenholzer is his "ability to hold players accountable," something he cites was "lacking" with Vogel at the helm.

Phoenix wasted no time finding their successor to Vogel, landing a proven and experienced coach in Budenholzer, who stems from the illustrious coaching tree of San Antonio Spurs and NBA legend Gregg Popovich.

Budenholzer has 10 years of head coaching experience between tenures with the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks, posting a 484-317 career regular-season record and reaching the playoffs in nine of those seasons, including three trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and a championship in 2020-21.

With their coaching situation resolved in short order and Budenholzer now in the driver's seat, the Suns front office can turn their attention to revamping the roster around their star trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal, a daunting task considering their lack of assets and financial restrictions because of the league's CBA rules.