Suns coaching search: Phoenix narrows list to nine names, including two Western Conference finals assistants

Phoenix is seeking stability after having three coaches over the last three seasons

The Phoenix Suns are taking their sweet time in trying to find their next coach. Rightfully so, they've had three different head coaches in the last three seasons, so doing their due diligence now is certainly the smart decision. It's a process that doesn't seem to be coming to an end soon, as Marc Stein reports Phoenix has whittled down its list of possible candidates to nine names.

According to Stein, the names on the not-so short list for the gig are a slew of current assistant coaches around the league. It features two names who are currently on the staffs of the Western Conference finalists, Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori and Oklahoma City Thunder assistant Dave Bliss. Nori has been considered for other coaching jobs around the league, most recently the Detroit Pistons job last summer, and has served as interim coach for the Wolves when Minnesota coach Chris Finch was sidelined with an injury during last year's playoffs.

Other assistant coaches on the list are Nets' Steve Hetzel, both Johnnie Bryant and Jordan Ott from the Cavaliers, Mavericks' Sean Sweeney, Heat's Chris Quinn, Pelicans' James Borrego and David Fizdale, who was on the Suns coaching staff this season.

The biggest takeaway from this collection of names is that aside from Borrego and Fizdale, no one else listed has prior head coaching experience in the NBA. That's a change in how the Suns have gone about finding their coaches in the past two seasons, as they previously prioritized finding someone who not only had previously held the title of head coach, but also had championship-level experience.

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In 2023, after parting ways with Monty Williams, the Suns went and got Frank Vogel, who won a title with the Lakers in 2020. Vogel lasted for one season, which ended with a first round playoff loss in 2024. Despite winning 49 games, that wasn't enough for Vogel to keep his job. So it was onto the next. Phoenix then hired Mike Budenholzer ahead of this season, who was a year removed from being fired by the Milwaukee Bucks following five years with the team where he led them to a championship in 2021.

Budenholzer's time ended with the Suns shortly after the season ended, where Phoenix missed the playoffs after their first losing season since the 2019-20 season. It was a massively disappointing year that can't be explained away with injuries like before, as the Suns invested a ton of resources in hoping the trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal could lead this team to a title. That didn't happen, in fact it was the worst season for the Suns since Durant had been traded to the team in 2022.

And as the Suns continue their search for a new coach, the construction of this team remains the biggest question mark. Bradley Beal was heavily shopped at the trade deadline, though his no-trade clause made it near impossible for the Suns to get off his albatross of a contract. Durant's future with the team has also been in question since the trade deadline. It was reported the Warriors tried to acquire him, but a phone call between Stephen Curry and Durant where the the latter said he wasn't interested in a reunion ended that quickly.

There's a lot of uncertainty about what this Suns roster will even look like next season, so whoever lands this job will have to prepare for a few different situations of either coaching an All-Star-laden squad, or one that may look far different than what we've seen over the last few years.