The Phoenix Suns wasted absolutely no time in beginning their offseason of change on Monday, with the firing of head coach Mike Budenholzer. Relieved of his duties after only one season in charge - like Frank Vogel before him - the Suns are now paying Budenholzer, Vogel and Monty Williams a huge sum of money not to coach this team.
This was the right move to make for the franchise, and the hope now is that they can get a head coach in who can stick around for the long-term, and help this group move closer to contention once more. It is important to remember that - for all the negativity in The Valley right now - Booker is still only 28-years-old.
Suns have just been handed a new General Manager on a platter.
Another area the organization are surely going to look to improve is their General Manager position, with James Jones unlikely to be offered a new contract moving forward. Say what you like about Jones - and he did make some good decisions during his time in the role - but change is needed. Even if moving on from Jones isn't going to have the massive impact fans would hope for.
In a fortunate turn of events for the Suns - words that have not been said much for the last 12 months - the ideal candidate has just dropped into their lap, if they are willing to go with it. David Griffin has been left go by the New Orleans Pelicans from his role as the Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, and the Suns simply have to try and get him to Phoenix.
The New Orleans Pelicans have fired executive vice president David Griffin, sources tell ESPN. After six seasons, the franchise will have a new head of basketball operations. pic.twitter.com/4VgYeMzwr3
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 14, 2025
Griffin might not be the person the Suns would like most from New Orleans - many feel that is young head coach Willie Green - but he has the right amount of experience for the role. After all, he was with the Pelicans when they drafted Zion Williamson, but it is actually two other players who Suns fans should be excited about the fact he spotted.
Herb Jones and Dyson Daniels are two elite defenders in the league today - and although Daniels is now with the Atlanta Hawks - it was under Griffin that the Pelicans drafted them. This is exactly the kind of player the Suns need to put around Booker, and they did this to some degree last season in selecting Ryan Dunn in the first round themselves.
Interestingly, Griffin was also born and raised in Phoenix. As we've seen with former coach Budenholzer - himself an Arizona native - that is not an indicator for success. Much more relevant is the whopping 17 seasons he spent in The Valley as a media assistant - rising all the way to the role of Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations.
His time spent with the Cleveland Cavaliers was even more valuable, and as the GM there brought over David Blatt from Europe to coach and was there when LeBron James came home. All of which is to say, he has both the experience of managing an organization with championship aspirations such as those Cavaliers, plus the knowledge of being from Arizona. Sign this man up ASAP.