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Suns To Interview Igor Kokoskov For Second Time

April 29th, 2018 at 10:08pm CST by marksuleymanov

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.

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Jay Triano No Longer In Consideration For Suns Job

April 29th, 2018 at 6:17pm CST by marksuleymanov

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.

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Heat Rumors: Whiteside, Waiters, Haslem, Wade

April 27th, 2018 at 10:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The gamble the Heat took on Hassan Whiteside two years ago has backfired, writes Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post, and they are left with the choices of keeping him and his huge cap hit or trading him for virtually nothing. Whiteside still has two seasons remaining [including a $27.1MM player option for 2019/20] on the four-year deal he signed in the summer of 2016.

The Heat are open to dealing their starting center, but Bontemps warns they may not like the offers they get. He suggests the Mavericks might be interested if they can’t land a big-name free agent, with Dwight Powell going to Miami in return. Other possibilities Bontemps sees for Whiteside are heading to New York in exchange for Joakim Noah [owed roughly $37MM over the next two years] and the Bulls’ second-rounder or to Phoenix for Brandon Knight [$29MM over two years] and Tyson Chandler‘s expiring $13.6MM deal.

There’s more today out of Miami:

  • The Heat are counting on Dion Waiters to solidify the shooting guard position once he returns from ankle surgery, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Waiters was limited to just 30 games before the January operation, and doctors aren’t sure if he will be ready for training camp or the start of the season. “I don’t think he’s felt right, physically, since when he first got here,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He got in great shape, but once he injured his ankle, then he was always dealing with that. This is going to be a really important summer for him. He’s going to be here and he’ll be working a ton behind the scenes just to get his legs right, then he’ll work on the next step of getting in world-class shape and then he’ll get into the next phase of really developing his basketball skills.”
  • Veteran forward Udonis Haslem isn’t sure whether Dwyane Wade will return for another season, adding he “wouldn’t be surprised” no matter what Wade decides, Jackson relays in the same story. Haslem hasn’t made a decision on his own future, but said he would like to work in the Heat organization when he retires, although not as a coach. He added that he and Wade haven’t discussed a mutual decision. “We’ve both in situations where we have a lot of different opportunities ahead of us,” Haslem said. “Do we want to retire together? In a perfect world it would be great to finish it together. But things don’t always work out like that.”
  • After playing just 16 postseason minutes, Rodney McGruder wants a larger role next year, Jackson adds. McGruder had surgery on his leg in October and appeared in 16 regular season games after he returned in February. “I want to play,” he said. “I am happy for my teammates. I love cheering them on. I want to be playing in the playoffs.”
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Jason Kidd Won’t Get Second Interview With Suns

April 27th, 2018 at 8:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

8:18pm: There are two new names to add to the Suns’ coaching search, according to Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic (Twitter link). The team had talks this week with Toronto assistant Nick Nurse and Pelicans associate head coach Chris Finch.

8:00pm: The Suns have completed their first round of coaching interviews, and Jason Kidd is among the candidates who have been eliminated, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 in Phoenix. He adds that the organization is currently informing all the interviewees of their current status.

Phoenix wrapped up the first stage of its coaching search this week, talking to ex-Hornets head coach Steve Clifford today and Spurs assistant James Borrego on Thursday.

Kidd has a 183-190 record in four and a half seasons as head coach of the Nets and Bucks. He took Milwaukee to the playoffs twice before being fired in January with a 23-22 mark. The newly elected Hall of Famer spent five seasons in Phoenix during his playing career.

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Suns Interview Steve Clifford, James Borrego

April 27th, 2018 at 6:56pm CST by Arthur Hill

Former Hornets coach Steve Clifford and Spurs assistant James Borrego are the latest candidates to interview for the head coaching spot in Phoenix, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Clifford, who was fired in Charlotte two weeks ago, had a meeting with Suns officials today, Wojnarowski relays. Clifford has expressed a desire to coach again next season after compiling a 196-214 record in five years with Charlotte.

Borrego, an assistant to Gregg Popovich for the past three seasons, interviewed in Phoenix on Thursday. He has brief NBA head coaching experience, compiling a 10-20 mark as an interim with Orlando at the end of the 2014/15 season.

The Suns have been among the most active teams in the search for a new coach, with David Fizdale, Igor Kokoskov, Frank Vogel, Jason Kidd, Vinny Del Negro, David Blatt and Kevin McHale all either interviewing or being linked to the position in the rumor mill.

Keep up with all the latest action on the coaching front by following our 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker.

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Mike James Agrees To Three-Year Deal In Italy

April 27th, 2018 at 4:39pm CST by Arthur Hill

Mike James, who spent time with the Suns and Pelicans this season, has signed a three-year deal worth more than $5MM with Olimpia Milano in Italy, tweets international writer Chema de Lucas (hat tip to Sportando).

James spent five seasons in Europe before agreeing to a two-way contract with Phoenix last July. That was converted to a full NBA contract in December, but he was waived two weeks later. James’ next stop was New Orleans, where he signed another two-way deal in mid-January. However, he was waived in February and finished the season with Panathinaikos in Greece.

James appeared in 32 games for the Suns and four more for the Pelicans, averaging 9.3 points and 3.5 assists in about 19 minutes per night.

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Jay Wright Won’t Meet With NBA Teams

April 25th, 2018 at 1:46pm CST by Luke Adams

NBA teams with head coaching openings and aspirations of luring Jay Wright away from Villanova this offseason can probably give up that dream, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. According to Berman, Wright’s longtime agent Carl Hirsch has confirmed that the Wildcats coach won’t speak to NBA teams at this time, and will return to Villanova to defend the team’s championship.

“He’s under contract with Villanova and he’s very, very happy there,” Hirsch told Berman. “There’s no plans to leave.”

The stance doesn’t come as a surprise, since Wright made similar comments about a week after Villanova won this year’s championship game. Speaking to Dana O’Neil of The Athletic at the time, the veteran head coach admitted that he was “intrigued” by the NBA, but said he couldn’t see himself leaving his current position. While Wright’s comments left the door to the NBA slightly ajar, Hirsch essentially closed that door for now, per Berman.

[RELATED: 2018 NBA Head Coaching Search Tracker]

A source tells Berman that at least two teams reached out to Wright’s representatives this month. One of those teams is believed to be the Knicks, whose desire to inquire on Wright was reported earlier in April. The identity of the second club isn’t known, but the Suns were believed to have Wright on their radar too. Neither team will get a chance to interview him.

With Wright set to return to Villanova, he’ll have a challenge ahead of him as he looks to lead the Wildcats to their third title in four years. Standout contributors Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson are going pro, and Donte DiVincenzo and Omari Spellman – who have each entered the draft without hiring an agent – may join them.

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Budenholzer's Withdrawal Raises Questions

April 24th, 2018 at 5:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder
  • It’s unclear why Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer told the Suns he was no longer interested in their head coaching job, Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic writes. He was either underwhelmed by what he heard from the Suns’ brass, didn’t get a sufficient financial offer or found a better opportunity somewhere else, Bordow adds. Ex-Grizzlies coach David Fizdale appears to be the favorite for the job but he’s also being pursued by the Knicks, Hornets and perhaps the Bucks, Bordow continues. Jazz assistant Igor Kokoskov also appears to be a prime candidate but if the Trail Blazers fire Terry Stotts, he would likely become the frontrunner, Bordow adds.
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2018 Offseason Salary Cap Digest: Phoenix Suns

April 24th, 2018 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s worst team in 2017/18, the Suns won fewer than 25 games for a third straight season and posted their worst record since 1968/69, the franchise’s first year of existence. As dismal as that sounds, Devin Booker continues to look like a franchise cornerstone, and young players like Josh Jackson showed promise. With a pair of first-round picks in hand – including a top-four selection – and some salary cap flexibility, the Suns are optimistic they can make a splash this summer and finally take a step toward contention in 2018/19.

Here’s where things currently stand for the Suns financially, as we kick off our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2018:

Guaranteed Salary

Player Options

  • None

Team Options

  • None

Non-Guaranteed Salary

Restricted Free Agents

  • Elfrid Payton ($4,749,591 qualifying offer / $9,997,020 cap hold)
  • Total: $9,997,020

Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds

  • No. 1 overall pick ($8,095,595)4
  • Alex Len ($7,956,438): Bird rights
  • No. 16 overall pick ($2,589,510)
  • Total: $18,641,543

Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000

Projected Cap Room: $18,958,539

  • While the Suns only have about $70MM in guaranteed money on their books, they may have to account for more than $10MM in cap holds for their two first-round picks, which significantly cuts into their potential cap room. Our projection assumes that Phoenix retains its nine guaranteed contracts, plus Reed and its two first-rounders, totaling $82,041,516. In that scenario, the Suns would renounce Payton and Len, and waive their non-guaranteed players. The team could create more room via trades or cuts, and would also open up a little more space with bad draft lottery luck — the cap hold for the No. 4 overall pick would only be $5,864,640.

Footnotes:

  1. Reed’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after June 30.
  2. Williams can reportedly trigger a $1MM partial guarantee by meeting certain weight, body fat, and minute requirements. His salary becomes fully guaranteed after July 6.
  3. Harrison’s exact contract details aren’t yet known.
  4. The Suns are first in the draft lottery standings, giving them a 25% chance at the No. 1 overall pick. They also could end up at No. 2 ($7,243,344), No. 3 ($6,504,619), or No. 4 ($5,864,636).

Note: Rookie scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.

Salary information from Basketball Insiders and RealGM was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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Kokoskov Gets Jared Dudley's Endorsement

April 23rd, 2018 at 7:43pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers power forward Julius Randle could wind up in his hometown of Dallas next season, Frank Urbina of Hoops Hype speculates. Randle would be a nice fit alongside guard Dennis Smith Jr. and the Mavericks have plenty of cap space to sign him. He played very well against them this season, averaging 21.8 PPG, 11.5 RPG and 5.6 APG on 66% shooting, Urbina notes. Randle would also slot in well with the Suns and Pacers, Urbina adds, though it’s more likely he winds up staying with the Lakers. Randle will be a restricted free agent if, as expected, the Lakers extend a $5.564MM qualifying offer by the June 29th deadline.

  • Igor Kokoskov has Jared Dudley‘s endorsement as the Suns search for a new head coach, Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic reports. Kokoskov, 46, was instrumental in drawing up plays when Lindsey Hunter was Phoenix’s interim coach in 2013, according to Dudley. Kokoskov, who has interviewed for the Suns job, is currently a Jazz assistant. “It’s not like Igor is young,” Dudley said. “He’s had plenty of experience. It’s like Brett Brown in Philadelphia and Mike Budenholzer in Atlanta. They put the right staff around them. That’s the critical part. I think he’s shown he deserves the opportunity.”
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