Coaching the Phoenix Suns does not equal job stability.
At least not under Suns owner Mat Ishbia who is about to have his fourth coach in as many seasons after taking controlling interest of the franchise in 2023.
He fired Monty Williams after the 2022-23 season. He fired Frank Vogel after 2023-24. And on Monday, he fired Mike Budenholzer after a disappointing 36-46 record in 2024-25.
Williams and Budenholzer won NBA Coach of the Year awards. Vogel and Budenholzer won NBA titles as head coaches.
But head coach of the Suns is one of just 30 coveted jobs in the NBA so the Suns will find a replacement. Don’t be surprised if they look for a more player friendly coach in this search.
Here’s a look at potential coaching candidates for the Suns job:
David Fizdale
Fizdale was a Suns assistant the past two seasons – one season for Vogel and one season for Budenholzer. He was a longtime assistant for Erik Spoelstra in Miami and gained respect from players, including LeBron James. He was the head coach for Memphis for one-plus seasons and head coach for New York for one-plus seasons, compiling a 71-134 record.
Terry Stotts
Stotts, an assistant for Golden State, knows stars and knows offense – he coached Damian Lillard in Portland where Stotts regularly produced top-10 offenses. Stott was 402-318 in nine seasons, including three 50-win campaigns, with the Blazers and led them to the conference finals in 2019.
Willie Green
Green is New Orleans’ head coach, but the Pelicans just fired president of basketball operations David Griffin, and Green, who just finished his fourth season with New Orleans. He came to the Pelicans from Phoenix where he was an assistant for two seasons, including 2020-21 when the Suns went to the NBA Finals. Green, like Suns owner Mat Ishbia, is a Michigan native, and they have known each other for years. Devin Booker also has a good relationship with Green.
Johnnie Bryant
Bryant joined Cleveland this season as associate head coach and is considered one of the top young assistants in the league. He’s been an assistant with New York and Utah and has earned praise from Damian Lillard and Gordon Hayward.
Adrian Griffin
Griffin had a short run as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and was 30-13 when the Bucks fired him midway through the 2023-24 season. The former NBA player and longtime NBA assistant is expected to get another chance with an NBA team.
Darvin Ham
Ham lasted two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, going to the conference finals in 2023 and losing in the first round last season. Ham, who spent several seasons as an assistant for Budenholzer in Atlanta and Milwaukee, returned to the Bucks this season as an assistant for Doc Rivers.
Ben Sullivan
Sullivan is an assistant coach for Houston and also spent time as an assistant with Budenholzer in Atlanta and Milwaukee. He has a long relationship with Rockets head coach Ime Udoka – the two worked together in San Antonio – and Sullivan was part of Udoka’s staff in Boston.
Royal Ivey
Ivey is also an assistant coach on Udoka’s Rockets staff, and the former NBA player was also an assistant with Oklahoma City, New York and Brooklyn. He’s also the head coach of South Sudan’s men’s basketball team at the 2024 Paris Olympics and has done strong work with the nation’s senior team.
Chris Quinn
Before this season, Quinn was promoted from Miami Heat assistant coach to Heat associate head coach. It’s a sign Quinn is ready for a head-coaching opportunity. He has been on the Heat’s staff since 2014, starting as a player development coach and working his way to the No. 2 spot next to head coach Erik Spoelstra.
