Suns down to two finalists for their HC job

The Phoenix Suns are down to two finalists for their head-coaching vacancy, both of them assistants with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Suns are focused on either Cavaliers associate coach Johnnie Bryant or assistant coach Jordan Ott as their replacement for the fired Mike Budenholzer, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. Bryant and Ott are expected to meet with Suns owner Mat Ishbia this week before a final decision is made.

It has been a slow and deliberate coaching search for the Suns, who fired Budenholzer on April 14. The team has since spoken to a number of candidates, and has also involved star guard Devin Booker in the search process more recently. The fact that they have the only coaching vacancy in the league has allowed them to take their time with the process.

Both Bryant and Ott have been assistant coaches in the NBA for over a decade. They just finished their first seasons with Cleveland under coach Kenny Atkinson, a campaign that saw the Cavs win 64 games.

Whoever does land the Suns job will be walking into a complicated situation. The team is likely to trade Kevin Durant and pursue something of a reset, though Booker is still a talented piece to be able to build around.

The Suns are coming off an ugly season that saw the team go just 36-46 and miss the playoffs despite entering the year with championship aspirations.