The Phoenix Suns have work to do after falling short in the 2023 NBA playoffs. New owner Mat Ishbia has big plans for this team, which is why he’s not wasting his time. He wants to win, and he doesn’t want to wait for it.
Since trading for Kevin Durant wasn’t enough to win the first championship in franchise history, the team is expected to continue making changes this offseason. But first, it has to find a new coach.
Monty Williams will no longer be at the helm of the team, leaving a huge vacancy in Phoenix. The front office may have already made a shortlist, which reportedly includes two former NBA champions.
Rumor: Two former NBA champions on the Suns’ radar
According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, the Phoenix Suns have narrowed their search for a new head coach to three candidates: Doc Rivers, Frank Vogel, and Kevin Young.
Rivers has just been fired by the Philadelphia 76ers after failing to get the team in the Conference Finals, extending his poor record when it comes to Game 7 of a playoff series. However, he does hold a championship in his résumé, having led the Boston Celtics to the title in 2008.
Vogel, meanwhile, has also been an NBA champion not long ago, when the Los Angeles Lakers went the distance in the 2020 Orlando bubble. The following seasons were quite terrible and they got him fired, but he still has a ring to show off.
Young, on the other hand, has served as an assistant head coach in Phoenix for the past two seasons. He knows the team in and out, but maybe the Suns go with a coach with championship experience.
