The Phoenix Suns are hiring Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Jordan Ott as the franchise’s next head coach, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.
A pair of Cavaliers assistants, Ott and Johnnie Bryant, emerged as finalists for Phoenix’s coaching job this week and met with Suns owner Mat Ishbia, CEO Josh Bartelstein and general manager Brian Gregory in Michigan on Tuesday. Team officials focused in recent weeks on Ott and Bryant, who joined the Cavaliers last summer as Coach of the Year Kenny Atkinson’s first hires, and ownership and the front office aligned on the hiring of Ott on Wednesday. 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 an NBA assistant coach since 2012 and has been rooted in principles of strong offensive and defensive creativity, player development and toughness. He’s known around the NBA as a strong communicator with his players and coaching staff and someone who spends incredible amount of time studying trends and pathways to adjust based on new patterns, sources said.
After firing Mike Budenholzer on April 14 and naming Gregory as the new GM on May 1, the Suns embarked on a comprehensive coaching search. Gregory led a multiround process that began with over 15 coaching interviews. A group of approximately eight candidates had second-round meetings before six — Bryant, Ott, Miami’s Chris Quinn, Dallas’ Sean Sweeney, Oklahoma City’s Dave Bliss and current staff member David Fizdale — advanced to in-person visits with team officials last week.
The Cavaliers had an Eastern Conference-best 64 wins this season and now lose one of their top assistants to the Suns. The Cavaliers ranked first in offensive efficiency and eight in defensive efficiency this season, per ESPN Research. Ott has also been on staffs for the Atlanta Hawks (2013-16), Brooklyn Nets (2016-22) and Los Angeles Lakers (2022-24), while Bryant has also served as an assistant for the Utah Jazz (2012-20) and New York Knicks (2020-24). Bryant played in college at Utah from 2005 to 2008, while Ott was a video coordinator with Michigan State men’s basketball program under Tom Izzo from 2008 to 2013.
With their coaching hire set, the Suns now begin the franchise’s offseason of changes to the roster. The Suns will work with All-Star forward Kevin Durant and his business partner and Boardroom CEO, Rich Kleiman, on his next landing spot and he is expected to have a robust market of approximately four-to-six teams this offseason, sources said.
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