Phoenix Suns top eight candidates for next head coach revealed

Top eight candidates for Suns job:

• Sean Sweeney (Dallas Mavericks assistant)
• David Fizdale (Phoenix Suns assistant)
• James Borrego (New Orleans Pelicans assistant)
• Johnnie Bryant (Cleveland Cavaliers assistant)
• Jordan Ott (Cleveland Cavaliers assistant)
• Steve Hetzel (Brooklyn Nets assistant)
• Micah Nori (Minnesota Timberwolves assistant)
• Dave Bliss (Oklahoma City Thunder assistant)

Two former NBA coaches are on the list with David Fizdale and James Borrego. Fizdale was the head coach for the Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks before being  a part of Mike Budenholzer staff last season for the Suns. The 50-year-old does already have a connection with the players and the system, which makes him being a finalist understandable.

Borrego coached the Charlotte Hornets from 2018-2022, amassing a 138-163 record. He returned to the NBA last season as an associate to Pelicans head coach Willie Green. Despite looking for first-time coach, hiring a Gregg Popovich discipline could help bring that magic to the Valley.

The list contains three candidates from the top two teams in the NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder and Cleveland Cavaliers. Thunder assistant Dave Bliss has been with the franchise since 2010, starting as a video coordinator. Eight years later, Bliss finally became an assistant coach and has helped Oklahoma City rise to one of the best defenses in the association.

The Cavaliers assistants, Johnnie Bryant and Jordan Ott, have had similar journeymen past in the league. The duo have worked there way from team to team for the past 7+ years. Bryant has had a history of reviving poor teams into top contenders. The 39-year-old joined the Utah Jazz in 2014-2015, after the franchise went 25-57, and improved their win total year-by-year until they were top contenders.

Bryant continued that pedigree in the Big Apple when he joined the New York Knicks coaching staff. The year prior to Bryant’s arrival, the Knicks went 21-45, the next year New York went 41-31. Regardless of other factors that can lead to those improvements, Bryant has a clear history of improving team’s after his arrival.

Gregory has a wide talent pool of candidates for the Suns next head coach. The final eight signals that Phoenix is likely to hire a first-time head coach, which could be the energy the roster needs after an embarrassing 2024-2025 season.