Phoenix Suns Make Final Decision on Head Coaching Vacancy

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Nathaniel Holloway | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 1:53 PM ET

The Phoenix Suns have a busy offseason ahead of them after they failed to even come close to expectations during the season.

Phoenix entered the season expected to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference thanks to their superstar trio of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, along with having the NBA’s highest payroll.

Instead, the Suns finished 11th in the West with an abysmal 36-46 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-20 campaign.

Because of this, the Suns are expected to make some major changes to their organization and that started after the season ended as they fired head coach Mike Budenholzer.

After weeks of interviewing potential head coaching candidates, the Suns finally made their final decision on Wednesday.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Suns are hiring Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott as their new head coach.

Just In: The Phoenix Suns are hiring Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott as the franchise's new head coach, sources tell ESPN. Ott has been an NBA assistant since 2012 and has a strong background of offensive and defensive creativity, player development and communication. pic.twitter.com/doDE6Fahdj
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 4, 2025

Ott has been an assistant coach in the NBA since 2012 and he is coming off his first season with the Cavaliers where he coached on Coach of the Year Kenny Atkinson’s staff that led Cleveland to the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Charania also reported that Booker was involved in the coaching search and agreed that Ott was the top choice for the job.

Suns franchise cornerstone Devin Booker was involved in the search process during the final stages and stamped Ott as his top choice as well, sources said. Ott has been on NBA coaching staffs with the Hawks, Nets, Lakers and Cavaliers since 2012. https://t.co/zMNBy9lHrA
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 4, 2025

Now, Ott will transition from a contending team to one that does not have that bright of a future after they traded away most of their assets to form their failure of a big three.

Despite this, Ott and the Suns will now look to rebuild their roster in the offseason as both a Durant and Beal trade potentially looms.

With this, the Suns will now look to rebuild their roster around Booker with a rookie head coach leading the way, which may be the best thing for the Suns as they try to build a contending team once again.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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