Suns’ Coaching Search Narrowed Down To 5 Main Candidates

The Phoenix Suns’ extensive head coaching search has been narrowed down to at least five candidates. Hoops Hype NBA insider Michael Scotto reported the news.

Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coaches Jordan Ott and Johnnie Bryant have made the final stage. Joining them are Dallas Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney, Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn and Oklahoma City Thunder assistant Dave Bliss.

NBA insider Marc Stein previously reported both Sweeney and Quinn had made very strong impressions thus far.

Phoenix’s coaching process began with 15 candidates and was cut to nine last week. The organization fired previous head coach Mike Budenholzer on April 14.

After that, Brian Gregory was promoted to general manager on May 1. At the time, Gregory shared his thoughts on what he would be looking for in a head coach.

“I want to make sure that we we get this right,” Gregory said. “This is very, very critical for us moving forward, finding that head coach that is aligned, finding that head coach that has the attributes that are important to us: unbelievable basketball IQ, tremendous communicator, shares our vision and what we understand needs to be done to be successful in basketball, in this new NBA.

“The toughness, the physicality, all those different things, and has the ability to hold the players accountable to doing that. Playing and having a systematic approach offensively and defensively.”

Suns’ Coaching Pursuit One Aspect Of Massive Offseason

The Suns are clear on what type of candidate they want, but any coach considering the role will also want an idea of what the roster will look like next season.

Due to the luxury tax stress the organization is under while being a long way from contention, the expectation is Kevin Durant will be traded. Bradley Beal was ready to use his no-trade clause at the trade deadline to block any potential deals involving him. It’s possible his stance has softened for the summer.

Is this a team about to enter a soft rebuild or at the very least a retool? How will Devin Booker feel about that, having already experienced some lean years with the franchise?

After going with tried and tested head coaches in Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer in the past, the list of finalists indicate someone will be getting a first crack as an NBA head coach. Perhaps, that’s an indicator of where the organization is headed.

At the same time, first-time head coaches like Steve Kerr, Tyronn Lue and Nick Nurse have all tasted championship success as rookie head coaches.

Phoenix is expected to finalize a decision next week.