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Suns Notes: Ott, Next Steps, Grill, Carroll

June 12th, 2025 at 10:23pm CST by Earnest Marshall

New Suns coach Jordan Ott had his introductory press conference on Tuesday, sharing how each coach in his journey helped him get to where he is, Arizona Republic’s Duane Rankin writes. Rankin compiled comments from several coaches Ott worked with

“Jordan Ott is an outstanding hire,” former Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn said. “His work ethic, demeanor, passion, and deep knowledge of the game will resonate with both young and veteran players. Jordan will leave no stone unturned in pursuit of finding solutions and will be committed to building a sustainable and successful brand of basketball.”

Ott coached with the Nets for six seasons as an assistant, which directly overlapped with Vaughn’s time there. Ott also served as a video coordinator and graduate assistant under Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo before making it to the league.

“He’s great, a really smart kid. Works his ass off,” Izzo said. “He’s a guy that has enjoyed the process. He’s really a thorough guy. He worked under some good people. I think [Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson] is one of the best coaches in the league. That will be a big plus with him.”

Ott also served as a video coordinator with the Hawks and most recently was an assistant under Atkinson in Cleveland. He worked under former Lakers coach Darvin Ham from 2022-24.

“He has a great feel, which is an intangible, I think, that is just as valuable,” Ham said. “You’ve got to know your Xs and Os, you’ve got to be well equipped with player development, programs and understanding both sides of the ball, but I just think the feel for people nowadays with so much going on. The world is moving so fast between social media and the ever-changing landscape of our league from playing styles to playing trends, he’s abreast to all of that. He stays on top of all of that.”

We have more from the Suns:

After hiring Ott, a trade involving Kevin Durant seems like the next order of business, Rankin writes in another piece. Beyond that, Phoenix currently holds the Nos. 29 and 52 overall picks in the 2025 draft. They’ve previously hosted Michigan big man Danny Wolf and Alabama forward Grant Nelson on pre-draft workouts. Filling out Ott’s coaching staff is another top priority.
In addition to Wolf and Nelson, the Suns hosted Missouri guard Caleb Grill on a pre-draft workout, per Rankin. Grill is ESPN’s 74th best-available player in the 2025 class. He averaged 13.7 points while shooting 39.6% from three on 6.8 attempts per game in his final collegiate season en route to winning SEC Sixth Man of the Year.
The Suns finalized an agreement to add NBA veteran DeMarre Carroll to their coaching staff, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (Twitter link). John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 previously reported the move was expected, though an official announcement may not come until later in the offseason, once Phoenix has finalized Ott’s staff.

Coaching Notes: Blazers, Herscu, Suns, Carroll, Silas, Fizdale, Tibaldi

June 10th, 2025 at 2:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rip City Remix – Portland’s G League affiliate – has announced that Jonah Herscu will be the team’s new head coach for the 2025/26 season, confirming the news in a press release after it was first reported by Sean Highkin of Rose Garden Report (Twitter link).

Herscu has spent the past three season as an assistant for the Trail Blazers on Chauncey Billups‘ staff and coached Portland’s Summer League teams in 2023 and 2024. He previously worked for the Kings and Lakers.

Herscu will replace Sergi Oliva, Portland’s assistant general manager, who coached the Remix for one year in 2023/24 in an effort to implement new developmental strategies for the organization. Oliva’s stint in that role was always expected to last for just one season.

According to today’s announcement, Eli Kell-Abrams will also be moving from the Blazers to the Remix and will be Herscu’s lead assistant after spending the past two seasons as Portland’s head video coordinator.

Here are a few more coaching-related updates from around the NBA:

After Jake Fischer reported last week that DeMarre Carroll was viewed as a candidate to join the Suns as an assistant on Jordan Ott‘s staff, John Gambadoro of Arizona Spots 98.7 (Twitter link) confirms that plan remains on track. Gambadoro, who says Carroll will likely be the “No. 3” assistant in Phoenix, notes the former NBA forward played in Brooklyn when Ott was on the staff and has since coached with him in Los Angeles and Cleveland.
Gambadoro also says he expects Phoenix to hire a former NBA head coach as Ott’s lead assistant. Stephen Silas is believed to be under consideration, while David Fizdale and the Suns appear likely to part ways, per Gambadoro (Twitter links).
Bryan Tibaldi, who has spent the past several years with the Cavaliers, has been hired as an assistant coach by the Providence Friars, per a press release from the school. Tibaldi was an assistant under Kenny Atkinson last season after serving as a player development/video assistant from 2021-24.

Fischer’s Latest: Raptors, Maluach, Barrett, Suns, Triano

June 7th, 2025 at 8:34am CST by Rory Maher

The Raptors are among the teams who “highly value” Duke center Khaman Maluach ahead of this month’s NBA Draft, sources tell Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link). However, it remains to be seen if the 7’2″ big man will be available at No. 9, which is the lottery pick Toronto currently controls.

If Maluach — who is ranked No. 6 on ESPN’s big board — is unavailable, rival teams have gotten the impression the Raptors might target a different center, Fischer writes. For what it’s worth, Derik Queen (No. 13), Joan Beringer (No. 15) and Thomas Sorber (No. 18) are the next three centers on ESPN’s board.

Here are a few more items of interest from Fischer’s latest rumor round-up:

As we relayed on Friday evening, Fischer pointed to Raptors wing RJ Barrett as a potential salary-matching piece if Toronto decides to make a play for Kevin Durant. Citing sources, Fischer also confirms a report from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype stating that Barrett’s name came up in the Brandon Ingram trade talks between the Pelicans and Raptors. Toronto ultimately acquired Ingram in February by sending New Orleans Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, one first-round pick and one second-rounder.
New head coach Jordan Ott intends to meet with the Suns‘ current assistants in the coming days, according to Fischer, who says there was a “strong belief” during the search process that Phoenix would ask associate head coach David Fizdale to remain on staff under the new hire. However, it’s unclear if Fizdale will be amenable to that arrangement after receiving multiple interviews for the head coaching job. Cavaliers assistant DeMarre Carroll — who has worked with Ott on three different teams — and Mavericks assistant Jared Dudley are also viewed as candidates to join Ott’s staff, Fischer writes.
Following up on a report from his Stein Line colleague Marc Stein, Fischer hears former Suns and Raptors head coach Jay Triano is finalizing a contract to join the Mavericks as an assistant under Jason Kidd. The Knicks are interested in speaking to Kidd for their coaching vacancy, though Dallas would have to grant New York permission for that to happen.

Cavaliers Officially Announce 2024/25 Coaching Staff

September 6th, 2024 at 10:18am CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers issued a press release on Thursday formally announcing their coaching staff under new head coach Kenny Atkinson, who was hired in June to replace J.B. Bickerstaff.

There are no real surprises within the Cavaliers’ release, as the majority of their hires were reported at some point this summer following the addition of Atkinson. However, those hires are now official.

Here are Cleveland’s assistant coaches:

Johnnie Bryant, who spent the past four seasons as the Knicks’ associate head coach and six seasons before that as a Jazz assistant. He worked closely with Donovan Mitchell in Utah and has been named the Cavaliers’ associate head coach.
Jordan Ott, a former assistant for the Lakers (2022-24) and Nets (2016-22). He worked under Atkinson in Brooklyn for three-and-a-half seasons.
DeMarre Carroll, a forward in the NBA for 11 seasons, including two in Brooklyn playing for Atkinson. Having transitioned to coaching following his retirement, he spent the 2022/23 season with Milwaukee and the ’23/24 campaign with the Lakers.
Mike Gerrity, who has coached the Cleveland Charge (the Cavaliers’ G League affiliate) for the past two seasons.
Trevor Hendry, who was with the Nets from 2014-24 in a variety of roles, including assistant coach (2022-24) and head video coordinator (2018-22). He worked under Atkinson from 2016-20.
Omar Cook, a longtime professional player who was hired as an assistant coach for the Charge in 2022 and promoted to an assistant/player development role with the Cavaliers in 2023.
Bryan Tibaldi, who has been a player development/video assistant for the Cavs since 2021.
Nate Reinking, a returning assistant coach who was the Charge’s head coach from 2016-21.

The Cavaliers announced a few more hires within their press release, including Alex Sarama as their director of player development and Patrick Licursi as an advance scout.

Cavaliers Hiring DeMarre Carroll As Assistant Coach

July 5th, 2024 at 9:45am CST by Rory Maher

The Cavaliers plan to hire former NBA forward DeMarre Carroll to be an assistant on new head coach Kenny Atkinson‘s staff, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

The 27th overall pick in 2009 out of Missouri, Carroll spent the next 11 seasons in the NBA, appearing in a total of 578 regular season games and 64 playoff contests for the Grizzlies, Rockets, Nuggets, Jazz, Hawks, Raptors, Nets, and Spurs. Notably, he played for Brooklyn from 2017-19 when Atkinson was head coach.

Carroll, who turns 38 later this month, transitioned to coaching a couple years ago when he was hired by Milwaukee as an assistant. He spent the 2023/24 season on Darvin Ham‘s staff with the Lakers.

Carroll is the second assistant coach who will reportedly be hired on Atkinson’s staff in Cleveland, joining Jordan Ott. Ott coached Carroll in Brooklyn and the two worked together again last season in Los Angeles.

Pacific Notes: Suns, Warriors, Saric, Lakers’ Moves, Carroll

July 3rd, 2023 at 10:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Suns’ willingness to give numerous free agents a two-year deal with a player option has helped them trump the Warriors in the free agent market, as Anthony Slater of The Athletic explains.

Golden State has been unwilling to provide minimum-salary offers with a second optional year due to luxury tax implications and the risk of committing a 2024/25 roster spot to a signee who didn’t work out. The Suns also had more playing time available and those factors helped sway Eric Gordon, who was the Warriors’ top backcourt target in free agency.

The Warriors are planning to go with a 14-man roster and have two slots open, which they intend to use on bigs, Slater writes. Power forward Dario Saric remains their top target still on the board.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

The Athletic’s John Hollinger gives the Suns high marks for their free agent catches, including a couple of underrated players in Keita Bates-Diop and Drew Eubanks. Bates-Diop, who previously played for the Spurs, could emerge as a key role player in the postseason, since he can guard multiple positions and shoots reasonably well from long distance. Eubanks is an energetic backup center who’s a superior rim protector and defender than Jock Landale, whom the Suns let go.
The Lakers‘ front office made a series of shrewd moves this summer, Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times opines. The Lakers’ didn’t chase another star, as they have in the past. Instead, they re-signed Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura and signed two other solid players in Gabe Vincent and Taurean Prince, rather than trying to sign Kyrie Irving or trade for Bradley Beal.
DeMarre Carroll is joining the Lakers as an assistant coach, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin tweets. Carroll was an assistant on Mike Budenholzer‘s staff with the Bucks last season and now will join Darvin Ham‘s staff. Carroll played for the Hawks when Budenholzer was the head coach there and Ham was one of the assistants.

Bucks Hiring DeMarre Carroll As Assistant Coach

August 2nd, 2022 at 10:30am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA forward DeMarre Carroll is transitioning to coaching, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link), who reports that Carroll will join Mike Budenholzer‘s staff in Milwaukee.

The Bucks have yet to formally announce Carroll’s hiring, so it’s unclear whether he’ll be on the front of the team’s bench or if he’ll start with a more modest player development role. However, Carroll’s agency Priority Sports posted a tweet congratulating him for becoming an assistant coach, which suggests that will be his title.

The 27th overall pick in 2009 out of Missouri, Carroll spent the next 11 seasons in the NBA, appearing in a total of 578 regular season games and 64 playoff contests for the Grizzlies, Rockets, Nuggets, Jazz, Hawks, Raptors, Nets, and Spurs.

Now 36 years old, Carroll last played in the NBA during the 2019/20 season, when he appeared in 24 total games for San Antonio and Houston. The 6’6″ forward has career averages of 8.9 PPG and 4.2 RPG on .430/.358/.741 shooting in 23.7 minutes per contest.

Two of Carroll’s best seasons came from 2013-15, when he was a full-time starter for a Hawks team coached by Budenholzer. During Carroll’s two years in Atlanta, the club earned a pair of playoff berths and won 60 regular season games in 2014/15, making the Eastern Conference Finals that spring.

Carroll published a tweet referring to Budenholzer as a mentor and thanking him and the Bucks for the new opportunity. “Excited to be shadowing one of the best coaches in the league!” Carroll wrote.

Rockets Notes: Harden, Tucker, Van Gundy, Bench

February 28th, 2020 at 9:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

James Harden believes he’s taken for granted around the basketball world, as he told Rachel Nichols of ESPN (Twitter link). “I feel like I’m the best player,” said the former Most Valuable Player, who once again leads the league in scoring. “Throughout the course of the year, I don’t see double teams for anybody else. Usually, you’ll see a double team after a 50-point night or a 60-point night. I have an 18-point night, the next game I’m seeing a double-team.”

Harden also took a dig at Giannis Antetokounmpo, who joked while choosing his All-Star squad that he didn’t want Harden because he preferred someone who passed the ball. “I wish I could just go to the rim at 7-feet and just dunk,” Harden said. “That takes no skill at all.”

We have more on the Rockets:

P.J. Tucker has accepted his new role as the team’s middle man in its Microball lineup, Sam Amick of The Athletic reports. Tucker says it’s just part of the job description of a team player. “It’s not a choice,” he said. “It’s like when people ask me why I play so hard. Like, it’s not a choice to play hard. I don’t have a choice. That’s what you’ve got to do. Period.”
Broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy doled out praise to coach Mike D’Antoni and GM Daryl Morey for their willingness to take criticism by embracing unconventional lineups, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle relays. “I admire their basketball courage,” Van Gundy said. “They have true conviction. They don’t waffle. They believe in what they believe. And they are unafraid of the consequences or the criticism. That’s when you can coach freely and manage freely.”
The recent additions of Jeff Green and DeMarre Carroll have made the team’s bench much more formidable, Kelly Iko of The Athletic writes. Forward Danuel House is noticing the difference. “It makes your team a very dangerous team,” House said. “Especially with your starting five. If your starting five is capable of putting up points and your bench is capable of putting up points, the team can stay consistent. There are no highs or lows, so that’s really good for our team.”

Texas Notes: J. Green, Carroll, Cousins, Doncic

February 22nd, 2020 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jeff Green looked right at home in his debut with the Rockets, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. In his first game since being waived by the Jazz on December 24, Green scored 17 points in 24 minutes as Houston won big Thursday night at Golden State.

“I just came ready to play,” he said. “I mean, I’m in shape, so I just tried to do whatever I needed to do to help the team win. I have a beautiful wife who allowed me to do what I needed to do and that’s all I need to say about that. I have great trainers at home and when I was home for this time, my wife allowed to me to really focus on what I needed to do.”

The Rockets are Green’s ninth NBA team since entering the league in 2007, making him one of seven active players to be with that many organizations, Feigen adds. Ish Smith is the active leader with 11 teams.

There’s more NBA news from the Lone Star State:

DeMarre Carroll, another new Rocket, had a disappointing stay with the Spurs, but his presence on the team will be missed, relays Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express News (Twitter link). “I’ve known DeMarre since college, we came in together, played with him in Toronto,” DeMar DeRozan said. “Just a great guy. It’s part of the league. Everyone comes and goes, but friendships and memories last forever.” Carroll appeared in just 15 games after signing with the Spurs last summer.
The Mavericks might have been willing to gamble on DeMarcus Cousins, but they don’t want to part with anyone on their current roster, owner Mark Cuban tells Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). The veteran center has missed the entire season with a torn ACL in his left knee, but recently offered hope that he might be ready for the playoffs. The Lakers plan to waive Cousins and add Markieff Morris once he clears waivers tomorrow. “We don’t have any roster spots,” Cuban said. “If we had a roster spot, we would probably do something, but we don’t. And there’s nobody we want to release.”
Mavericks star Luka Doncic sat out tonight’s game with a sore ankle, but coach Rick Carlisle doesn’t expect it to be a long-term issue, Townsend tweets.

Rockets Sign DeMarre Carroll

February 20th, 2020 at 9:08pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Rockets have officially signed DeMarre Carroll, according to a team press release. It was reported earlier in the week that he would join Houston.

The Spurs agreed to a buyout with Carroll after not moving him at the trade deadline, waving the white flag on one of the worst offseason acquisitions in the league. It wasn’t necessarily Carroll’s play that was the issue; it was what the Spurs were forced to give up for the wing.

San Antonio had initially agreed to sign Carroll and planned to use their mid-level exception, but when Marcus Morris agreed to a deal with the team, the Spurs pivoted to acquiring Carroll via trade instead (and giving up Davis Bertans to the Wizards). Morris backed out of the agreement, which made giving up Bertans for Carroll an unnecessary move.

Carroll will join the Rockets as they embark on a unique, strange journey of playing no traditional big men most of the time. The 33-year-old will likely spend time at both forward spots with the club, though it wouldn’t be all that surprising if he sees minutes at the five in some funky lineups.

Carroll’s rest-of-season contract with Houston will pay him $811,447, which is the exact amount he gave up in his buyout agreement with the Spurs, per ESPN’s Bobby Marks (via Twitter). The Rockets, who now have a full 15-man roster, will carry a cap hit of $512,721.