Suns GM James Jones in charge of team’s head coach search

Fischer and Stein on Suns coaching search:

“Interesting rumble out of the desert as we await the Suns’ expected restructuring of their front office:

Word is that James Jones, whose contract as the Suns’ lead decision-maker expires in June, has to this point been operating as the point guard for the Phoenix coaching search.

Suns owner Mat Ishbia is on record as saying that the search will be slow-moving, but the fact that Jones is at its forefront to this point would seem to support suggestions that he could be asked to stay with the franchise in a reconfigured role in the event that a new lead decision-maker is hired.

League sources say Phoenix would ideally settle upon its new front office structure before hiring a head coach to replace the one-and-done Mike Budenholzer.”

After missing the Play-In at 36-46, the team is looking for a culture changer to fill the head coaching spot. The front office is expected to depart from MVP forward Kevin Durant this summer and potentially Bradley Beal, making next season a clean slate for the new regime.

Ishbia wanted to set up a culture that resembled Phoenix, which was gritty and hard-working, and getting to that point started with finding a head coach. Jones has been with the organization since 2017 and saved the team from lottery purgatory to a Finals run in 2021. However, this summer will be the 44-year-old’s hardest challenge to try and fix the mess of last season’s team.

It’s unclear if Jones will resign a new contract with the Suns, or have a different role with the franchise moving forward. For now at least, Jones is a key part of the team’s head coaching search and will be the driving force to changing organization’s culture heading into 2025-2026.