Suns Rumors

Latest From Stein, Fischer: Hawks, Iisalo, Suns, Doncic

May 4th, 2025 at 6:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Hawks have begun the interviewing process for their next president of basketball operations, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer report in their latest rumor round-up at Substack.

The Hawks fired general manager Landry Fields last month and promoted Onsi Saleh to that role, but Atlanta wants to pair him with another top executive.

Sixers GM Elton Brand, former Nuggets GM Calvin Booth and former Kings GM Monte McNair have already undergone initial interviews for the position, apparently via Zoom, per Stein and Fischer.

Former BYU and EuroLeague swingman Travis Hansen and G League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim are also on the Hawks’ radar.

Here’s more from Stein and Fischer:

Grizzlies management was so interested in adding Tuomas Iisalo to their coaching staff that they sent multiple executives to France last season to evaluate and ultimately recruit him to Memphis. The Grizzlies gave him a seven-figure salary and also paid a seven-figure buyout last summer to hire him away from Paris Basketball. Iisalo replaced Taylor Jenkins late in the regular season and had the interim tag removed this past week.
Newly hired Suns GM Brian Gregory is expected to conduct the team’s head coaching search, with more than a dozen candidates under consideration. Though Phoenix has strong interest in hiring a coach without previous NBA head coaching experience, there are two candidates who don’t fit that description — Pelicans associate head coach James Borrego and Bucks assistant Dave Joerger. Borrego had a stint as Charlotte’s head coach, while Joerger has been a head coach with Memphis and Sacramento.
Luka Doncic isn’t eligible for an extension until early August but the process has already begun. Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick had dinner with Doncic and Doncic’s business manager, Lara Beth Seager, two nights after the Lakers were eliminated. The star guard has one year left on his current deal.

Several Teams Promoting Interim Head Coaches, Forgoing Searches

May 3rd, 2025 at 1:07pm CST by Luke Adams

It’s not uncommon for several NBA teams to be on the lookout for new head coaches each spring. During the 2022 offseason, four clubs hired new coaches; that number increased to six in 2023 and was six again in 2024.

It looked like that would trend would continue in 2025. The Kings made a coaching change in December 2024, with the Grizzlies and Nuggets following suit in March and April, respectively. The Suns fired Mike Budenholzer once their season ended and longtime Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich stepped down from his position for health reasons.

Despite the fact that five teams have parted ways with their head coaches in the past four-and-a-half months, only one of those clubs is currently conducting a head coaching search.

After finishing the season with a 27-24 under interim head coach Doug Christie, who reportedly had support from team owner Vivek Ranadive, the Kings opted to name Christie the permanent replacement for Mike Brown, finalizing a new multiyear contract agreement with him earlier this week.

The Grizzlies took the same path with Taylor Jenkins‘ in-season replacement, Tuomas Iisalo, removing his interim tag this week and announcing that he would be keeping the job.

In San Antonio, Mitch Johnson was technically the acting head coach and didn’t hold the interim title — that’s really just a technicality that reflects the fact that Popovich was still hoping to return at some point. But when Popovich decided to call it a career, the Spurs wasted no time confirming that Johnson would remain in the role and they wouldn’t be interviewing anyone else.

The Nuggets are still alive in the playoffs, so it’s possible – especially if they lose Game 7 of their first-round series to the Clippers on Saturday – that they could launch a full-fledged coaching search, with interim coach David Adelman receiving consideration as part of that search. But Adelman is widely respected within the organization, including by stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, so there’s a chance that Denver just sticks with him — especially if he leads the team to at least the second round of the postseason.

It’s not out of the question that other teams could make coaching changes this spring. However, most teams whose seasons are over have had time to think about it and probably would have made their move by now if they planned to do so. Willie Green of the Pelicans is one coach to monitor from this group, though one recent report said the “prevailing expectation” is that he’ll be retained by new head of basketball operations Joe Dumars.

While there has been no indication that a change is in the cards for either the Bucks or Hawks, Doc Rivers is another head coach worth keeping an eye on, as is Quin Snyder, who received a strong endorsement from general manager Landry Fields last month, only for Fields to be fired by Atlanta a few days later.

As for the teams still alive in the postseason, it seems relatively safe to assume that Kenny Atkinson, Joe Mazzulla, Rick Carlisle, Mark Daigneault, Chris Finch, Tyronn Lue, Ime Udoka, and Steve Kerr aren’t going anywhere unless they choose to.

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is perhaps the most at risk in this group, but he likely relieved some of the pressure he was facing by getting past Detroit in the first round. New York will enter the conference semifinals against Boston as a significant underdog, so unless the Knicks are embarrassed in that series, a coaching change may not be in their plans.

If no other teams replace their coaches this spring, it would leave the Suns in position to take their time with their own search, knowing they aren’t in danger of having their top choice poached by a rival team. Reports have already indicated that Phoenix plans to be patient as it seeks its fourth head coach in four seasons — the team is expected to identify 14 or 15 candidates, then pare that list down to a smaller group of finalists.

While there haven’t been any reports yet about candidates who have secured meetings or interviews with the Suns, the following names have been linked to the team’s coaching vacancy by various reporters:

Cavaliers assistants Johnnie Bryant and Jordan Ott
Mavericks assistants Sean Sweeney and Jared Dudley
Rockets assistants Royal Ivey and Ben Sullivan
Pelicans assistant James Borrego
Thunder assistant Dave Bliss
Heat assistant Chris Quinn
Former Kings coach Mike Brown
The Suns’ own assistant David Fizdale
Former Suns assistant (and current BYU head coach) Kevin Young

Pacific Notes: Suns Coaching Search, Gregory, Lue

May 1st, 2025 at 9:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Suns are currently looking for their fourth head coach in as many seasons.

Phoenix announced Thursday that it has elevated incumbent front office executive Brian Gregory to its team general manager role, while shifting former GM James Jones into an advisory capacity. According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix (Twitter link), Gregory will start contacting agents of potential head coaching candidates immediately, with 14 or 15 potential targets expected to be on that list.

Gambadoro confirms, as has been previously reported, that the Suns are considered likely to hire a first-time NBA head coach this time around, following three straight disappointing seasons with very experienced coaches. Gambadoro tweets that Phoenix is expected to make its decision within the next two or three weeks. The Suns plan to cull down their initial candidate list to two or three finalists over a few rounds of conversations.

There’s more out of the Pacific Division:

As Phoenix’s new top decision maker, Brian Gregory has an interesting summer ahead of him. PHNX Sports’ Gerald Bourguet offers up a fresh primer on Gregory’s history and how he and new assistant GM Oronde Taliaferro will impact the Suns’ future. Bourguet notes that, though Gregory has significant experience as a coach, his front office experience is significantly more limited.
After considering making a change to his starting lineup for a must-win Game 6, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters that he will keep his preferred first five intact after all, per Mark Medina of Sportskeeda (via Twitter). L.A. currently trails Denver 3-2 in the series.
In case you missed it, Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nuggets center Nikola Jokic recently reflected on their first time suiting up against one another in a playoff series this spring.

Suns Promote Brian Gregory To General Manager

May 1st, 2025 at 2:49pm CST by Rory Maher

2:49 pm: In addition to officially promoting Gregory and moving Jones to an advisory role, the Suns have also named Oronde Taliaferro as assistant GM and announced that CIO Paul Rivers will now have basketball operations responsibilities, confirming the changes in a press release (Twitter link via Gerald Bourguet of PHNX Sports).

“Brian has been a valuable member of our front office, playing an integral role in drafting and developing our young players,” said Ishbia. “I am excited for him to step into the role of general manager. He is a brilliant basketball mind, and he will transform and elevate our team.”

2:37 pm: The Suns are making a major change to their front office, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who reports that vice president of player programming Brian Gregory will become the team’s new head of basketball operations, with an official title of general manager.

Sources tell Charania that former NBA veteran James Jones, who has been the Suns’ GM since 2019, will become a senior advisor in Phoenix.

Gregory, 58, played four years of college basketball in the late 1980s before transitioning to coaching. He had two different stints as an assistant at Michigan State — the second overlapped with Suns owner Mat Ishbia‘s time with the Spartans, Charania notes.

After 13 years as an NCAA assistant, Gregory landed his first head coaching job with Dayton back in 2003, remaining with the Flyers until 2011, when he was hired away by Georgia Tech. He stayed with the Yellow Jackets until 2016, when he was let go, serving as a special a consultant to Michigan State’s Tom Izzo during the ’16/17 campaign. Gregory was head coach of South Florida from 2017-23.

It’s a rapid rise for the longtime coach, who was hired by the Suns last June. Gregory has been credited for drafting Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro in 2024, according to Charania, and has been in charge of college scouting and the pre-draft process this year, per Jake Fischer (Twitter link).

According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link), Josh Bartelstein will remain in his role as CEO. Gregory will report directly to Ishbia, Gambadoro adds.

Marc Stein first reported that Gregory could be in line for a promotion.

Despite having the NBA’s highest payroll, the Suns are coming off a disastrous season, finishing with a 36-46 record and not even making the play-in tournament. That led to the firing of head coach Mike Budenholzer, who had four years left on his contract.

Bucks Notes: Giannis, Lillard, Horst, Offseason

May 1st, 2025 at 10:59am CST by Luke Adams

Following the Bucks‘ third consecutive first-round playoff exit and a torn Achilles diagnosis for star point guard Damian Lillard, superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo finds himself under the spotlight. Speculation about whether he wants to stick with the Bucks or compete for a championship elsewhere figures to dominate the news cycle in Milwaukee until he makes a decision one way or the other.

John Hollinger of The Athletic is among the pundits to make the case that trading Antetokounmpo this offseason is the best path forward for the Bucks. While he acknowledges it’s not an easy decision, given what Giannis means to the franchise and the fact that the Bucks don’t control their own draft picks for the next several years, Hollinger believes the organization isn’t in position to maximize the remaining years of the two-time MVP’s prime.

Eric Koreen of The Athletic, conversely, contends that a player’s championship rings have become disproportionately weighed when evaluating a player’s legacy and argues that “time spent together” should be valued more highly than it is. Lillard’s own move from Portland to Milwaukee shows that a trade to a would-be contender offers no guarantees, Koreen points out, adding that Dirk Nowitzki‘s career spent in Dallas feels “right” in retrospect even though he only won a single title with the Mavericks.

For his part, Antetokounmpo wasn’t ready to discuss his future after the Bucks lost Game 5 in Indiana on Tuesday, ending their season.

“I’m not going to do this,” Giannis said when asked if he believes he can win another title in Milwaukee, per Jamal Collier of ESPN. “I’m not going to do that. I know how it’s going to translate. I don’t know, man. I wish I was still playing. I wish I was still competing and going back and working out.”

As we relayed on Wednesday, Antetokounmpo is expected to meet soon with Bucks management to discuss his and the team’s future.

Here’s more on the Bucks:

Antetokounmpo’s season ended in unusual fashion on Tuesday, as he found himself face-to-face with John Haliburton, the father of Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton, on the court seconds after Indiana closed out a 119-118 win. As Collier writes for ESPN.com, Antetokounmpo engaged in a heated confrontation with the elder Haliburton, who later apologized for coming onto the floor and shouting at the Bucks forward, according to Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. “His dad coming on the floor and showing me his son — a towel with his face on [it], [saying] ‘This is what we do. We do this,'” Antetokounmpo told reporters after the game. “I feel like that’s very, very disrespectful.” Giannis later said that he talked to John Haliburton after the incident and that “we’re in a good place.”
If Lillard had finished the season healthy, he and the Bucks would likely have had a conversation about his future in Milwaukee, according to Eric Nehm and Sam Amick of The Athletic, who say there’s a chance the two sides would’ve decided they might be better off parting ways. That scenario could’ve given Milwaukee a path to revamping its roster around Antetokounmpo while sending Lillard to a contender that may be a better fit, Nehm and Amick note, but it’s off the table now that the point guard will spend the year recovering from an Achilles tear.
Some rival executives were surprised that the Bucks extended general manager Jon Horst in April, but he was in consideration as a potential front office target for both the Suns and Pelicans before Milwaukee did that deal, league sources tell Nehm and Amick.
Within his preview of the Bucks’ offseason, ESPN’s Bobby Marks says adding depth and shooting should be a priority this offseason for the Bucks, who will also need to add more help in the frontcourt if they lose either Brook Lopez or Bobby Portis in free agency.

Pacific Notes: Curry, Warriors, Suns, Harden

May 1st, 2025 at 9:12am CST by Luke Adams

Warriors star Stephen Curry, who injured his right thumb in January and re-injured it late in the regular season, has had that thumb wrapped during games and has been icing it after games, but he said following Wednesday’s loss to Houston that it’s not affecting how he plays, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.

As Youngmisuk details, after a Golden State broadcaster suggested that Rockets defenders appear to be targeting Curry’s thumb when he shoots, Warriors players and head coach Steve Kerr were asked whether that’s something they’ve noticed. Kerr didn’t dispute that it’s happening, but pointed out that it’s not against the NBA’s rules.

“The rule is once the shot has been released, you’re allowed to hit a guy’s arm,” Kerr said. “And so what’s happened in the league this year is, players always are, they’re going to outsmart the rules. They know what they’re doing. So players all over the league are just taking shots at guys’ shooting hands after the release because they know it’s not going to be a foul. And I’m very confident that next year the league will fix it because it’s only a matter of time before somebody breaks a thumb or breaks a hand or whatever. But these are the rules.

“I do believe they’re allowed to call a flagrant if they want. The refs can call flagrant if a guy winds up and takes a shot. But no, it’s been happening across the league all year long. It’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, but we have to take it through the league process to get that changed. … I know we got 30 coaches who all think it’s just idiotic that we allow this, so we’ll have to take it through the competition committee, all that stuff this summer and eventually we’ll get it fixed.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Trailing by 27 points at halftime on Wednesday, Kerr and forward Draymond Green decided during the break that the Warriors shouldn’t chase a comeback for more than about five minutes in the second half if they weren’t making up any ground, writes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. With 5:50 left in the third quarter and Houston still up by 29, Kerr pulled all of his starters and didn’t use them for the rest of the night. “I wasn’t going to chase this game with Game 6 coming up in 48 hours,” Kerr said. “Unless we made a huge run, we kind of had an idea that we’d pull the plug.” Golden State’s reserves eventually cut the deficit to 13 points with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, but Kerr opted against bringing back his first-stringers at that point. “When you make a move like that, the starters on the bench, you can’t go back to them,” he explained. “It’s not the right thing to do.”
The Suns are expected to announce changes to their front office either by the end of this week or early next week at the latest, says John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 (Twitter link). It’s unclear exactly what those changes might look like, but NBA insider Marc Stein (Twitter link) hears that one option in play is promoting VP of player programming Brian Gregory to a more prominent position. Suns owner Mat Ishbia is a fan of Gregory, who has a “significant voice” in the team’s draft strategy, Stein adds.
With their season on the brink entering a do-or-die Game 6 vs. Denver, the Clippers will need more from their stars to force a Game 7, writes Law Murray of The Athletic. Thursday’s game will be an especially big one for James Harden, who has been held to 13.0 points per game on .400/.250/.643 shooting in the Clippers’ past two losses and hasn’t spoken to the media after either game, Murray notes. Harden could become a free agent this summer if he declines a $36.3MM player option.

Pacific Notes: Redick, Reaves, Podziemski, Suns, Nash

April 30th, 2025 at 8:23am CST by Dana Gauruder

Lakers coach J.J. Redick pushed back on the notion that the Lakers lost Game 4 of their series against Minnesota because he didn’t make any substitutions in the second half.

“Our two best players missed layups at the rim,” Redick said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “I don’t think they missed layups because they were tired.”

Redick also gave his reasoning for the shorter rotation in conversations with his key reserves.

“I spoke to everyone (Monday) that would’ve potentially played in the second half,” Redick said. “They all understood it. There was no issue with that.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

At the brink of elimination, the Lakers must take a Game 7 mentality into the remainder of the series. Austin Reaves shared his thoughts on that subject with the Los Angeles Times’ Dan Woike. “You gotta treat every possession as an individual thing that you gotta go attack,” he said. “And the more the game goes on, obviously when you get to the fourth quarter and it’s a close game, those plays matter more than the one did the first two minutes of the game. But if you go in with a mentality like that of every single play matters and you execute to the best of your ability, you’re never gonna be perfect, but you’ll give yourself a good opportunity to win.”
Brandin Podziemski‘s season turned for the better with the addition of Jimmy Butler. Warriors coach Steve Kerr explained why to The Athletic’s Sam Amick. “The thing with Brandin, we know he’s at his best when he’s a secondary play-maker, playing off the weak side (and) running through the catch, creating shots in the paint for himself and others,” Kerr said. “Once we got Jimmy, we were running a lot of offense through Jimmy, and that allowed Brandin to play on the other side. I think he’s at his best when he can do that.”
The Suns could have a number of assistants from playoff teams on their radar as their head coaching search continues. That’s why the process could drag on — they didn’t have to wait on Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer before hiring them, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic notes. Despite his longtime ties to the franchise and his head coaching experience, Steve Nash isn’t interested in the job, Marc Stein reports. Nash will be among the broadcasters for Amazon Prime next season.

Scotto’s Latest: Hawks, Green, D’Antoni, Suns, Nogues Gonzalez

April 29th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Hawks seek a new head of basketball operations, their top targets are believed to be Tim Connelly of the Timberwolves and former Warriors general manager Bob Myers, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype confirms.

However, as previously reported, Connelly is expected to sign a new deal to remain in Minnesota. As for Myers, people around the NBA believe it would take a “significant” salary and the perfect fit for the current ESPN analyst to return to an NBA front office, Scotto writes.

Other candidates on Atlanta’s list of potential replacements for former GM Landry Fields include Magic senior advisor John Hammond and NBA G League president Shareef Abdur-Rahim, league sources tell HoopsHype. Abdur-Rahim spent two-and-a-half seasons with the Hawks as a player, earning his lone All-Star nod in Atlanta.

Confirming a report from NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link), Scotto says the Hawks are parting ways with VP of pro personnel Grant Liffmann. Atlanta also isn’t expected to retain executive advisor Chris Emens, Scotto adds.

Here’s more from Scotto:

The “prevailing expectation” is that Willie Green will keep his job as the Pelicans‘ head coach entering the 2025/26 season, league sources tell Scotto. However, he hears that New Orleans won’t be retaining coaching advisor Mike D’Antoni, who has been with the organization in that role since 2021.
The “strong belief” around the NBA is that the Suns will be seeking a young, first-time head coach to replace Mike Budenholzer, according to Scotto, who identifies Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott and Thunder assistant Dave Bliss as two candidates expected to receive consideration. Ott was a finalist a year ago for the head coaching opening in Charlotte, while Bliss is the coordinator of an Oklahoma City defense that was the league’s best in 2024/25.
After earning All-Defensive honors in the G League this season with the Rip City Remix, guard Isaac Nogues Gonzalez – one of 106 early entrants in the 2025 NBA draft – intends to keep his name in the draft pool, Scotto reports. He turned down a multiyear offer to play for Club Joventut Badalona in Spain, agent Michael Naiditch informs HoopsHype.

Stein/Fischer’s Latest: Perry, LaVine, Young, Jones, Dumars, Graham, Horst

April 27th, 2025 at 7:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

New Kings general manager Scott Perry won’t engage an offseason teardown even though De’Aaron Fox was dealt at the trade deadline this season, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line report in their latest newsletter.

While the roster is lacking a true starting point guard and requires more length and athleticism, as he told the media in a recent press conference, Perry isn’t looking to hit the reset button.

However, there is speculation that Zach LaVine could be on the move again. Perry questioned LaVine’s ability to elevate his teammates a couple of years ago in a podcast. LaVine has two years and approximately $96.5MM remaining on his contract and becomes eligible for an extension on July 7.

Here are several more tidbits from Stein and Fischer:

Trae Young‘s name has been bandied about in trade rumors in recent years but it appears unlikely Atlanta will look to deal its franchise player this summer. Former Hawks GM Landry Fields broke up the backcourt duo of Young and Dejounte Murray last offseason and one of the players acquired in return, defensive ace Dyson Daniels, meshed well with Young. Moreover, Hawks personnel members have spoken often about Young’s growth as a leader and being a more willing passer. Coach Quin Snyder’s praise regarding Young’s improved effort and defensive commitment also speaks to the likelihood of the Hawks continuing to build around him.
While there has been speculation regarding James Jones‘ status as the Suns GM, given that his contract expires in June, he’s been tasked with leading the search for a new head coach. Phoenix would ideally determine its new front office structure before hiring a head coach but Jones could be asked to remain in the front office in a different role.
New Pelicans executive VP of basketball operations Joe Dumars has already made several front office changes, including the addition of former Pistons GM Troy Weaver as senior VP. However, Dumars has decided to retain GM Bryson Graham. The latter has been credited with unearthing underrated talent in the draft, such as Trey Murphy and Herbert Jones.
The Bucks’ decision to give GM Jon Horst an extension had been in the works for weeks. Front office openings in Atlanta, Denver and Phoenix further pushed the negotiations to fruition. However, Horst’s new deal won’t quell the hope of rival executives that another early playoff exit could lead to a trade request from superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Bucks Agree To Extend GM Jon Horst’s Contract

April 24th, 2025 at 10:42am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Bucks have agreed to a multiyear contract extension with general manager Jon Horst, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports.

This will end any speculation that the Bucks’ ownership group was contemplating a change at the top of its front office chain. Horst has been the Bucks’ GM since 2017. During that span, the team has made the playoffs in all eight seasons and has a .647 winning percentage, second-best in the league.

The Bucks won the 2021 championship but haven’t gone deep in the Eastern Conference playoffs since that run. They lost in the conference semifinals in 2022 and were knocked out in the first round in each of the past two seasons. They currently trail Indiana 2-0 in their opening-round series.

There had been speculation that Suns owner Mat Ishbia might pursue Horst if he were made available. Milwaukee denied Detroit permission to interview Horst for their top executive job last summer before the Pistons chose Trajan Langdon.

There has also been speculation that Giannis Antetokounmpo might want out of Milwaukee if the Bucks flame out in the postseason again. Horst made the blockbuster deal for Damian Lillard in 2023 after Antetokounmpo publicly wondered whether they had a championship-level roster.

This winter, the 42-year-old Horst commented on his feelings about keeping Milwaukee among the top contenders for the title.

“It’s still the awesome responsibility to try to take this franchise and maximize the window that we have now as best we can,” Horst said. “What we think gives us the best chance to win, and figure out how to continue winning going forward. There’s a very narrow set of opportunities that we felt that we could do that, and this was one of them.”

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