The Phoenix Suns have narrowed their coaching search to two candidates from the Cleveland Cavaliers, associate head coach Johnnie Bryant and assistant Jordan Ott, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Monday.
Phoenix is expected to have picked its next head coach by the end of the week, Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro reported earlier Monday.
Bryant and Ott are expected to move into a final round of interviews, this time with team owner Mat Ishbia, as well as CEO Josh Bartelstein and new general manager Brian Gregroy, according to Charania.
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Long-time NBA reporter Marc Stein reported Sunday in his Substack newsletter that Phoenix is entering its final stage of the head-coaching search.
Bryant and Ott, Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn, Dallas Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Dave Bliss have been named by Gambadoro as the five semi-finalists for the job. Ott is the only one of the five semifinalist candidates who has a connection to Michigan State, where Ishbia and Gregory have strong roots.
With the field reduced to that crop, Stein said that Gregory met with Bliss in Oklahoma City this weekend.
Bliss had been the only candidate not to meet in person so far with Gregory, but he did so thanks to a break in his schedule with the Western Conference champions having a decent gap before the NBA Finals.
Candidates have, Stein added, met with Phoenix star Devin Booker in some fashion during the process, a clear sign that he remains a figurehead with the organization despite the expectation every other rostered player is on the table to be moved if it makes sense.
Who are the Phoenix Suns’ head-coaching finalists, Johnnie Bryant and Jordan Ott?
Bryant has garnered credit for helping develop Donovan Mitchell in Utah after the two-guard was viewed as a high-ceiling project pick in the draft. Former Knicks forward Julius Randle also gave Bryant a hat tip for his brutally honest assessment about Randle’s leadership.
Ott has gained knowledge from Mike Budenholzer with the Atlanta Hawks (2013-16); Atkinson, Jacque Vaughn and Steve Nash on the Brooklyn Nets (2016-22); and Darvin Ham with the Los Angeles Lakers (2022-24). He should have familiarity with Suns assistant GM Matt Tellem during his run in Brooklyn from 2016-22.
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