Report: Suns narrow coaching search to 2 Cavs assistants

The Phoenix Suns have whittled their list of potential head coaches to two, both currently on the staff of the Cleveland Cavaliers, ESPN reported Monday.

The finalists, per ESPN, are Cleveland associate head coach Johnnie Bryant and assistant Jordan Ott. Both are set to meet with a Phoenix contingent led by owner Mat Ishbia this week.

The Suns are looking for a replacement for Mike Budenholzer, who was fired April 14 after his first season and a 36-46 record. The new coach will be the fourth in four seasons.

NBA Coach of the Year Kenny Atkinson and his staff led the Cavaliers to 64 wins and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, where they lost to the Indiana Pacers in the second round.

Bryant, 39, was a guard in college at Utah and played professionally overseas before joining the Utah Jazz staff in 2012, where he remained until 2020. He was the associate head coach of the New York Knicks before joining the Cavaliers.

Ott began his career as a video coordinator at Michigan State in 2008 before filling that same role under Budenholzer with the Atlanta Hawks. He joined the Nets as an assistant coach in 2016 and moved on the Los Angeles Lakers in 2022 before Atkinson hired him in Cleveland.

--Field Level Media