- The Suns will enter Tuesday night’s lottery with the best chance of winning the top pick, but they’ll have plenty of good options if that doesn’t happen, notes Luke Lapinski of Arizona Sports 98.7. Phoenix has a history of disappointment in the lottery, but Lapinski sees DeAndre Ayton, Luka Doncic and Marvin Bagley III as high-level talents at the top three spots.
- Chinese forward Abudushalamu Abudurexiti has already worked out for eight NBA teams this spring, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic, who identifies the Nets, Mavericks, Lakers, Bucks, Suns, and Jazz as clubs that have taken a look at the youngster. Scotto’s piece is worth checking out in full for a closer look at the under-the-radar prospect.
The Suns are planning a max or near-max offer for Rockets center Clint Capela this summer, according to Kelly Iko of Rockets Wire.
Phoenix is reportedly “enamored” with the fourth-year big man, who is in the midst of his best NBA season. He averaged 13.9 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game during the regular season and has raised those numbers to 14.4/12.2/2.8 in the playoffs.
The 23-year-old will be a restricted free agent, so the Rockets can match any offer he receives. Capela made a little more than $2.3MM this season in the final year of his rookie contract. Owner Tilman Fertita has indicated that he is willing to pay the luxury tax to keep his team together, which will undoubtedly come into play with Chris Paul, Trevor Ariza, Luc Mbah a Moute and Gerald Green also becoming free agents.
The Suns project to have more than $30MM in cap room and need help at center, with only 35-year-old Tyson Chandler signed for next season. Alex Len will be a free agent, and Alan Williams has a $5.52MM non-guaranteed deal.
However, the Suns have other needs and their plans could change depending on the results of next week’s lottery. Phoenix owns the league’s worst record and has a 25% chance to get the top pick in the draft, which could be Arizona center DeAndre Ayton. If that happens, the organization may target another position with its free agent money.
Igor Kokoskov is set to become the Suns‘ next head coach and it is just the latest chapter in his legacy which has been defined by breaking barriers, NBA.com’s Cody Cunningham writes.
Since then, Kokoskov enjoyed a successful run under his mentor Alvin Gentry — the former Suns coach and current Pelicans coach — during his first stint in Phoenix. Kokoskov went on to enjoy international coaching success, most prominently leading Slovenia to a first-place finish at FIBA EuroBasket 2017. He will be the first non-American head coach in NBA history and it’s something Gentry feels he’s ready for.
- While the hiring of Kokoskov has led to speculation that the Suns are eyeing Slovenian prospect Luka Doncic with their lottery pick, GM Ryan McDonough dismissed the idea that Phoenix is locked in on Doncic. “It’s an easy assumption to make, but we’re going to draft whoever we think the best player is,” McDonough said, according to Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic. “If we do get the No. 1 pick, Doncic will certainly be in that mix. But [Deandre] Ayton and a few other guys will, as well.”
- Before he accepted a four-year offer from the Knicks, Fizdale turned down a four-year offer from the Suns to become their new head coach, tweets Michael Scotto of The Athletic.
The health of shooting guard Dion Waiters looms as one of the Heat’s biggest question marks heading into next season, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel reports. Waiters has been hampered two seasons by an ankle injury, which required season-ending surgery in January. The Heat believe Waiters will be better than ever once he heals but it’s no slam dunk he’ll even be ready for training camp. Miami president Pat Riley believes the return of Waiters, who appeared in just 30 games after signing a four-year, $52MM contract last summer, will be akin to adding a quality free agent.
“He was playing hurt for a year and a half for the most part,” Riley said. “I’m glad he had the surgery. I hope the surgery is 100 percent successful. You got a very talented 26-year-old player that still wants to make his mark and we don’t have to go out and pay somebody $25 million to get him to play.”
In other news concerning the Heat:
- It’s more likely that Justise Winslow will get traded than Josh Richardson, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Winslow, who is still on his rookie deal, has one more guaranteed year remaining at $3.45MM. Richardson signed a four-year, $42MM extension last September. The Heat could use Winslow as a chip in a package for a top-level player or as a sweetener to dump a bad contract, with Jackson citing Tyler Johnson’s deal as an example. In contrast, Richardson would probably only be traded for an All-Star caliber player, Jackson adds.
- The Suns’ hiring of Slovenian national team coach Igor Kokoskov as their head coach doesn’t necessarily increase the possibility of Goran Dragic being reunited with Phoenix, Winderman opines in a blog post. Acquiring a 31-year-old point guard probably wouldn’t make much sense for the rebuilding Suns, Winderman notes. However, if the Heat can regain the unprotected 2021 first-round pick they dealt to acquired Dragic, that might make it worth their while, Winderman adds.
- What does the future hold for the Heat’s free agents? Austin Kent takes a closer look in our free agent stock watch.
The Suns are hiring Utah Jazz assistant Igor Kokoskov as their new head coach, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Wojnarowski adds that Kokoskov is signing a three-year deal with the Suns, while Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune tweets that Kokoskov will remain with the Jazz through the remainder of their playoff run.
John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 reports that the contract will contain no options and that the final decision to hire Kokoskov came when team representatives met with him in Houston yesterday in between Games 1 and 2 of the Jazz’ first round series against the Rockets.
The Suns have confirmed the news, writing that the hire will make Kokoskov the first NBA head coach born and raised outside North America in NBA history.
“We are thrilled to bring Valley resident Igor Kokoskov back to Arizona as head coach of the Phoenix Suns,” said GM Ryan McDonough. “Igor has been a pioneer throughout his basketball career and he brings a wealth of high level coaching experience to our club.
“He was one of the first non-American born assistant coaches at both the NCAA and NBA levels and his most recent head coaching stint includes leading the Slovenian national team to the 2017 EuroBasket title, which was the first European title in the history of the country. Igor’s teams have always had a player development focus, a creative style of play and a track record of success.”
Kokoskov, 46, will become the 19th head coach in Suns’ franchise history in his 19th season as an NBA coach. He was as an assistant coach with the Suns from 2008-2013 during their run of success with Steve Nash, including a trip to 2010 Western Conference Finals.
Kokoskov is also a successful international head coach, leading Slovenia to a first place finish at FIBA EuroBasket 2017 and also coaching the Georgian national team from 2008-2015. One member of the Slovenian national team he coached: potential top-pick Luka Doncic.
- Suns strength and conditioning coach Jeff Fish has resigned, Chris Haynes of ESPN tweets. Fish was just hired during the offseason.
The Suns will interview Jazz assistant coach Igor Kokoskov for the second time as the organization continues to search for a head coach, 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports’ John Gambadoro reports. Phoenix initially interviewed Kokoskov over the phone in between Utah’s game two and three playoff matchups against the Thunder.
A former assistant coach with the Suns from 2008 to 2013, Kokoskov has served as an assistant for Utah since 2015 as part of Quin Snyder‘s staff. Before joining the Jazz, Kokoskov was an assistant coach for several teams, including the Clippers, Pistons, Cavaliers, and Magic. While Kokoskov has never been a head coach in the NBA, he does have experience coaching the Georgian, Serbian, and Slovenian national teams.
The Suns’ candidates for the position are slowly dwindling. Earlier today, interim coach Jay Triano was said to be ruled out as a candidate for the head coach position. Triano coached Phoenix for most of the 2017/18 season after Earl Watson was dismissed three games into the season. Also, Arizona native Mike Budenholzer removed himself from consideration after meeting with the organization.
David Fizdale, Frank Vogel, Vinny Del Negro, David Blatt, and Kevin McHale have all either interviewed or been linked to the position as well.
Keep up with all the latest action on the coaching front by following our 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker.
Jay Triano, who served as the Suns‘ interim head coach during the 2017/18 season, will not return to the position in a full-time capacity, as first reported by 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s John Gambadoro.
Per ESPN’s Chris Haynes, assistant coach Ty Corbin has also been relieved of his duties.
Triano took over as Phoenix’s interim coach three games into the season after Earl Watson was fired. The Suns went 21-58 with Triano at the helm.
Phoenix has been aggressive in the early going, interviewing several candidates for their head coach vacancy. Earlier this week, soon-to-be Hall-of-Famer and former Suns player, Jason Kidd, was eliminated from consideration for the job. The same day, we relayed that Raptors assistant Nick Nurse and Pelicans associate head coach Chris Finch were interviewed for the job.
Since the end of the regular season, along with the aforementioned names, David Fizdale, Igor Kokoskov, Frank Vogel, Vinny Del Negro, David Blatt, Kevin McHale, and Mike Budenholzer have all either interviewed or been linked to the position.
Keep up with all the latest action on the coaching front by following our 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker.