Budenholzer was fired by the Bucks after the 2022-23 season following a shocking first-round exit to the Miami Heat when Milwaukee was the top seed. He then took a year off from coaching before being hired by the Suns last offseason. It was a homecoming of sorts for Budenholzer, who grew up a few hours from Phoenix and has family in Arizona.

Former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer had completed just one year of his five-year, $50-million deal following the 2024-25 season, but with the Phoenix Suns having missed the Play-in Tournament with a record of 36-46,