Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer has been granted permission by the team to talk with the Suns about their open head-coaching position, ESPN reported Friday night.
According to the report, Budenholzer will meet with the Suns next week.
This would be a coup for the Suns, if Budenholzer does indeed head West, as the 48-year-old coach is one of the most respected Xs and Os guys in the league. A longtime assistant in San Antonio, he's posted a 213-197 mark in five seasons as the head coach in Atlanta, reaching the postseason four times. He won NBA Coach of the Year honors in 2015-16, when the Hawks reached the Eastern Conference finals.
The Hawks stumbled to a 24-58 record this season, and although Budenholzer still has two years remaining on his contract, there had been speculation he might not want to return to the Hawks, who face a rebuild. One report suggested he was interested in the Bucks' open coaching job.
Yet Budenholzer, who is an Arizona native, would also face a huge challenge in Phoenix, where the Suns are coming off a 61-loss season. The team is reportedly still considerng interim coach Jay Triano, who replaced Earl Watson only three games into the season.
Hawks GM Travis Schlenk told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution recently he'd heard the rumors that Budenholzer was looking elsewhere.
“I would just say: They’re rumors, to the best of my knowledge," Schlenk said. "Nobody has called me, but he’s a good coach. I could understand why other teams would have interest.”
