Phoenix Suns Interested in Former Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach as Assistant
Following a season in which they went just 36-46 and missed out on any sort of playoff contention, the Phoenix Suns have been undergoing massive changes. The first of which came the day after the regular season ended, when they announced they were firing head coach Mike Budenholzer after just one season of a five-year $50 million deal.
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The next significant change came in the front office when owner Mat Ishbia moved James Jones into an advisory role to install Brian Gregory as the new general manager. Their relationship goes back to their days at Michigan State, where Gregory was an assistant coach and Ishbia a player on the 2000 Michigan State National Championship team.
Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels against Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal.Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Phoenix Suns interested in former Los Angeles Lakers head coach as assistant
Once the general manager position was solidified, the Suns began to make more moves. Gregory was tasked with finding a replacement for Budenholzer and got his guy after a lengthy search. Former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Jordan Ott will lead the Suns next season, aiming to improve upon their finish as the No. 11 seed in a loaded Western Conference.
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Ott has something significant in common with Ishbia and Gregory in that he attended Michigan State for his Master's degree. Even with Ott at the head coaching position, the Suns are continuing to look to fill out their coaching staff.
According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham could be in line for a position.
'Phoenix and now New York — after the hiring of Mike Brown as the Knicks' new head coach — have expressed interest in trying to hire Darvin Ham away from the Bucks, The Stein Line has learned," wrote Stein.
Ham was the head coach of the Lakers from June 2022 through May 2024. He led them to the NBA In-Season Tournament Championship in its inception. As for the postseason, the Lakers qualified as the No. 7 seed in both seasons under Ham.
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Following his exit from Los Angeles, Darvin Ham returned to the Milwaukee Bucks as an assistant under Doc Rivers. The Suns could use a coach like Ham on the coaching staff especially with Ott being a rookie head coach.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
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