A crucial offseason and one where massive change has begun hasn’t appeared busy for the Phoenix Suns.
Under the surface, though, Phoenix and new general manager Brian Gregory are reportedly sifting through more than a dozen candidates for head coach. Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro has added that it’s expected the Suns will consider a first-time leader — not surprising after new owner Mat Ishbia has fired three seasoned head coaches in the past three years, all of whom had NBA Finals experience.
“The truth about this team is that the coaching is going to be part of it, but the bigger picture is so challenging that I’m not sure what position that coach is going to be put in anyway,” The Athletic’s senior NBA writer Sam Amick told Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta on Friday.
Who are the most intriguing Phoenix Suns head-coaching candidates?
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Two of the top assumed candidates are assumed because they have strong ties to the Suns or their players.
That would be Dallas Mavericks assistant Jared Dudley and Houston Rockets assistant Royal Ivey.
“Jared Dudley’s another one that I found fascinating because (he’s) a beloved Sun back in the day and a guy who has definitely paid his dues,” Amick said. “He’s been an assistant a long time, he’s been part of championship teams with the Lakers in the bubble a few years back.”
Dudley’s NBA career hit a peak while playing on the Steve Nash-led Suns from 2008-13.
He was a bench leader on the Lakers’ 2020 title team before he retired and went immediately into coaching as then-Los Angeles assistant Jason Kidd took the Dallas head-coaching job.
Through those experiences, Dudley’s resume starts with working with a diverse group of stars: From Nash, to LeBron James, to Anthony Davis, to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
More importantly, Dudley also has ties directly to Devin Booker. They played together from 2016-18 in the coach’s second go-around with the Suns.
Ivey has a relationship with the current Suns’ other star, fellow Texas Longhorn product Kevin Durant.
“It’s funny because when Royal gets discussed, people immediately make the Kevin Durant connection,” Amick said. “Kevin and Royal are very close — and that’s fair — but I actually had this discussion with someone the other day … I think (Ivey has) done enough where I think he’s got to be judged by his own merit.”
Ivey scrapped from 2004-14 as a backend role player in the NBA, then crossed over with Durant in the Oklahoma City Thunder organization to start his coaching career as a G League assistant in 2014.
He ultimately became an assistant with the Thunder (2016-18) before stops in New York (2018-20), Brooklyn (2020-23) — again working with Durant — and most recently Houston (2023-present).
Ivey’s stock as a head coach received a massive boost with his work developing the South Sudan national team, which qualified for its first FIBA World Cup in 2023. The team came out in that event as the top team from Africa and then made its first Olympics in 2024.
“From there, you can speculate if (the Suns) looked at him hard, what does that mean for Kevin’s future in Phoenix?” Amick said.
Speaking of Kevin Durant’s future with the Suns ..
Are we so sure Kevin Durant is gone, gone?
It became public and apparent that Phoenix wanted to move on from Durant in February when a deal with the Golden State Warriors fell through because of Durant’s own apprehension, as ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst reported then.
Since, fellow ESPN reporter Shams Charania has said that it’s expected Durant and the Suns will work in concert with one another to find a trade destination that fits. But it’s the fit and the potential of Durant still liking his current situation that could make the possibility of him staying real.
“At face value, given the way the trade deadline went in February, everybody, myself included, went, ‘OK this is the preview. And this summer he’s definitely gone,'” Amick said. “I think the dilemma is, as of now, I can’t look at the market and tell you where exactly the landing spot would be perfect in terms of, like, the level of desire of teams that would have to come get him.
“The Minnesota (interest in Durant) is continuing to evolve. They’re championship contenders and still alive. They don’t even know — I guarantee you — how they feel about Durant this summer.”
Earlier this week, Amick reported that Houston, a presumed interested party, has “significant reservations” about acquiring Durant. From Amick in The Athletic:
While Durant is widely seen as the most attainable of that group, and he is known to be very interested in playing in Houston, team sources said the Rockets still have significant reservations about that possible partnership, in large part, because Durant’s age (36) would be so out of sync with their younger timeline. It’s worth noting that previous talks between the teams about Durant, team sources said, were initiated by the Suns.
The Rockets have previously held serious interest in the Suns’ Devin Booker, but team sources said that is no longer the case. Not only do team officials still have faith in Jalen Green, who is five years younger than Booker and $66 million cheaper over the next three seasons, but also Booker’s struggles last season shifted the thinking on this front.
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