The Phoenix Suns reportedly know where their next head coach will be coming from. But the team is still deciding between two candidates.
The Suns are down to Cleveland Cavaliers associate head coach Johnnie Bryant and assistant Jordan Ott, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported. Both candidates are expected to meet with team owner Mat Ishbia, CEO Josh Bartelstein and new general manager Brian Gregory this week.
Bryant and Ott both just finished their first seasons on the Cleveland coaching staff under head coach (and NBA coach of the year) Kenny Atkinson. The Cavs finished with the Eastern Conference’s best record at 64-18 before losing a second-round playoff series to the Indiana Pacers. Cleveland was also the NBA’s top team in offensive rating and ranked eighth defensively.
The Suns’ head-coaching position has been open since Mike Budenholzer was fired on April 14. Phoenix finished No. 11 in the West with a 36-46 record. The team finished 13th in offensive rating despite a lineup featuring Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. Defensively, the Suns ranked as the fourth-worst team in the league.
With the Suns reportedly preparing to hire an assistant as their new head coach, all five of the NBA’s openings will go to first-time coaches. However, Phoenix is the only team that actually conducted a full search while the other four promoted interim coaches. Memphis kept Tuomas Iisalo, Doug Christie got the top job in Sacramento, Denver elevated David Adelman and San Antonio retained Mitch Johnson.
Bryant or Ott will be Phoenix’s third head coach in three seasons since Ishbia became the team’s majority owner in December 2022. Monty Williams and Frank Vogel preceded Budenholzer on the Suns’ sideline.
Prior to joining the Cavs, Bryant was an associate head coach with the New York Knicks for four seasons and previously spent 10 years with the Utah Jazz as an assistant and in player development. Ott was an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers for two seasons before going to Cleveland. Before that, he coached with the Brooklyn Nets for six years, including four with Atkinson. Ott was also a video coordinator at Michigan State, though not when Gregory was an assistant there under head coach Tom Izzo.
The Suns reportedly began their coaching search with eight candidates, including current Phoenix assistant David Fizdale, Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn, Sean Sweeney from the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder assistant Dave Bliss.
Booker has been involved in the coaching search, according to reports. That would appear to indicate the Suns intend to keep their second-leading scorer. The 10-year veteran is signed for three more seasons and Phoenix intends to offer him a two-year, $149.8 million extension when he’s eligible for it this summer, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
Booker averaged 25.6 points and 7.1 assists per game last season.
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