Frank Vogel could be coaching for his job in the Phoenix Suns’ game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night.
The Suns have lost the first three games of their first-round playoff series against the Timberwolves by double digits. Ahead of Game 4 on Sunday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Vogel’s job “very much may be in jeopardy” despite the coach being in his first season with Phoenix.
“There’s an 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 and as dispirited as they looked in Game 3,” Wojnarowski said. “When you have this kind of payroll and these kinds of expectations, you’ve got to not only show more in the first round, you’ve gotta get out of the first round. Losing in 6 in the second round cost Monty Williams his job.”
.@wojespn on Frank Vogel's future with the Phoenix Suns: pic.twitter.com/153lglBJmH
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 28, 2024
The Suns surprised a lot of people when they fired Monty Williams and hired Vogel following their second-round playoff exit last season. Vogel beat out several other candidates for the job, and there was some belief that he was not Phoenix’s first choice.
Two weeks after hiring Vogel, the Suns completed a blockbuster trade to acquire Bradley Beal from the Washington Wizards. That gave them a star trio of Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. It also resulted in their roster being top-heavy, which is not ideal for a team that has had injury issues.
The Suns believed Vogel could do more with their roster than Williams. If Phoenix is swept by the T-Wolves, Vogel will have done less. Vogel has a big contract with the team, but the Suns are in win-now mode and might be willing to eat the money if they believe there are better candidates out there.
