Latest news with #JordanOtt
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Phoenix Suns add Valley Suns head coach to Jordan Ott's coaching staff
First-year Phoenix Suns head coach Jordan Ott will have John Little on his staff as an assistant coach, league sources have informed The Arizona Republic. Little served as head coach of their G League team, the Valley Suns, during their inaugural season in 2024-25. The Valley Suns reached the 2025 G League playoffs under Little and advanced to the conference semifinals before losing to the eventual G League champion Stockton Kings. Stockton is the Sacramento Kings' G League team. Little has been in Las Vegas working as an assistant for the Suns' summer league team. Phoenix plays its final summer league game Saturday, July 19, against the Portland Trail Blazers at Cox Pavilion (6:30 p.m., NBA TV). The Suns have Jesse Mermuys, DeMarre Carroll, Brian Randle, Chaisson Allen and Little on Ott's coaching staff with Mateen Cleaves serving as a player development coach. Carroll has been the team's summer league head coach with Allen and Little on his staff. Ott, Randle and Mermuys have been in attendance, watching the games courtside. A 2006 Northern Iowa graduate, Little played overseas for eight years as a guard. He returned to Northern Iowa and worked as a video coordinator for two years (2017-19). He was on the Wisconsin Herd's coaching staff for four seasons (2019-23). The Herd are the Milwaukee Bucks' G League team. Little was an assistant there under Allen from 2021-23. Little then joined the Maine Celtics as an assistant for one season (2023-24), helping the Boston Celtics' G League team earn the No. 2 seed and reach the 2024 G League finals. Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@ or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin. Support local journalism: Subscribe to today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Valley Suns' John Little joins Ott's Phoenix Suns staff
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Devin Booker Reacts to Offseason Move With Phoenix Suns
Devin Booker Reacts to Offseason Move With Phoenix Suns originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Phoenix Suns have been one of the most active teams in the NBA since the conclusion of the regular season. The Suns hired a new coach, Jordan Ott, after they elected to fire Mike Budenholzer just one year into a five-year, $50 million deal. Advertisement They also made a significant trade in the front office when they demoted James Jones from his position as the president of basketball operations and general manager to a role as a senior advisor. Brian Gregory was named as the new general manager, and Jones later took a position as the NBA's executive vice president and head of basketball operations. Marl J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports Devin Booker reacts to offseason move with Phoenix Suns Once Ishbia was confident with the state of the front office, they went to work to find a team willing to trade with them for Kevin Durant. Just days before the NBA Draft, the Suns executed a trade that sent Durant to the Houston Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2025 draft, and five second-round picks that later became a record-setting seven-team deal. Advertisement Some speculated that the Suns could have looked to move guard Devin Booker to gain some future assets and get younger. However, that idea was put to rest Wednesday when Booker signed a two-year, $145 million max extension that keeps him in Phoenix through the 2029-30 season. Shortly after the deal was announced, Booker took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share his excitement regarding the extension and quoted his tweet from when he was originally drafted by the Suns back in 2015 with the No. 13 pick. "Letsgo" the post read. The Suns have brought in many notable players over the years, including Chris Paul and Durant. However, Booker remains the face of the Suns and is beloved by the fan base. Advertisement Booker has been a constant for the Suns throughout their up-and-down years. While the minutes at the guard position will likely have to be worked out with the influx they have at the position, Booker will likely serve as the team's primary facilitator after averaging a career-high 7.1 assists last season. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Reuters
10-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Reports: Suns G Devin Booker agrees to 2-year, $145M contract extension
July 10 - The Phoenix Suns and Devin Booker have agreed on a two-year maximum contract extension worth an estimated $145 million that will keep the All-Star guard with the franchise through the 2029-30 season, according to multiple reports on Wednesday night. Booker, 28, will earn the highest annual salary in an extension in league history, ESPN reported. The $72.5 million per season pushes Booker ahead of the $71.25 million average annual value of Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's $285 million super max extension. The reigning NBA MVP of the newly minted league champions was awarded the new deal earlier this month. The Suns will have Booker in the fold for five years and $316 million as they build around the four-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA honoree and two-time Olympic gold medalist. Phoenix has a new general manager after promoting executive Brian Gregory. Ex-GM James Jones was moved into a senior advisor role before joining the league's front office as executive vice president. The announcement came earlier on Wednesday. Former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Jordan Ott has replaced head coach Mike Budenholzer, with Booker reportedly involved in the coaching search and approving Ott. The Suns are making over the roster as well, having traded 15-time All-Star forward Kevin Durant to Houston in a seven-team transaction that brought a package of players, including veterans Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks as well as rookie center Khaman Maluach, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft out of Duke. Phoenix selected Booker with the 13th overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft out of Kentucky. He has averaged 24.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 34.4 minutes in 673 regular-season games (648 starts) in his 10-year career. He also has averaged 28.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.0 steals and 40.0 minutes in 47 playoff games (all starts). Last season, Booker averaged 25.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 37.3 minutes in 75 regular-season games. --Field Level Media
New York Times
10-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Suns, Devin Booker agree on two-year, $145 million max extension: Source
The Phoenix Suns and star guard Devin Booker have reached an agreement on a two-year max extension worth $145 million, a league source confirmed to The Athletic on Wednesday. The deal keeps Booker in place through the 2029-30 season. This was an expected move, one the Suns felt was necessary. After last season's disappointing finish, owner Mat Ishbia made it clear that Phoenix planned to build around Booker, a four-time All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist who remains in his prime. Advertisement Among the more popular players in franchise history, the 28-year-old Booker has averaged 24.4 points and 5.2 assists over 10 NBA seasons. Last season, he placed among the top 15 in the league in scoring and assists, but his efficiency numbers — 46.1 percent from the field and 33.2 from 3-point range — were among the worst of his career. Booker acknowledged near the end of last season that he needed to shoot with better accuracy. He also said he needed to improve his leadership skills, using his voice and forcing his will inside the locker room and on the court. 'Pretty much everything when you fall this short,' he said of his off-season goals. The Suns have undergone a massive change over the last two months. Ishbia revamped the front office, promoting executive Brian Gregory to general manager and shifting longtime GM James Jones to a senior advisory role. Phoenix later tabbed former Cavs assistant Jordan Ott to replace fired Mike Budenholzer as head coach. Since then, the front office has worked on restructuring the roster, a challenge given Phoenix's place above the second apron. Last month, the Suns traded superstar forward Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets for a package that included guard Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and the 10th pick of the draft, which Phoenix used to select Duke center Khaman Maluach. The goal is to provide more athletic ability, length and toughness. Throughout his time in Phoenix, Booker has experienced some of the best and worst seasons in franchise history. Over his first four seasons, the Suns never won more than 24 games. That changed in 2020-21 when Booker, along with veteran point guard Chris Paul, led the Suns to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games. The next season the Suns posted a franchise-record 64 wins and Booker finished fourth in MVP voting. Advertisement The Suns have since declined, but Booker never has publicly expressed a desire to play elsewhere. He enjoys Arizona, hanging out in Flagstaff in the offseason, and has often said he likes the idea of playing for one organization over his entire career. David Aldridge contributed to this story. (Photo by)
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
New Phoenix Suns assistant DeMarre Carroll will coach summer league team
The Phoenix Suns provide a peek into first-year head coach Jordan Ott's coaching staff, with DeMarre Carroll being listed as head coach of their summer league team. Ott and Carroll were assistants together last season in Cleveland under 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year Kenny Atkinson. The Suns open summer league play in Las Vegas on July 11 against the Washington Wizards. Advertisement In talking with league sources, Carroll is viewed as being "authentic" and of "high quality" with a tremendous feel for the game. Carroll played for eight NBA teams in 11 NBA seasons. A late first-round pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, Carroll averaged 8.9 points in his NBA career. Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (25) drives against Brooklyn Nets forward DeMarre Carroll (9) during the first quarter in game two of the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on April 15, 2019. Carroll is considered a great communicator who is a straight shooter and is all about the process. A teacher of the game, Carroll understands offensive and defensive concepts and knows how to implement and enforce them. Carroll and Ott also worked together as assistants with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023-24 under Darvin Ham. Carroll's first job as an NBA assistant was in 2022-23 in Milwaukee under former Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer. Advertisement Ham, Ott, Carroll and Atkinson all worked under Mike Budenholzer, who coached Phoenix to a 36-win season last season and was fired after one season with the Suns. A two-time NBA head coach of the year, Budenholzer coached the Bucks to an NBA championship in the 2020-21 season, beating the Suns in the finals. Carroll played for Budenholzer in Atlanta for two seasons (2013-15). He averaged 12.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals in his second season with the Hawks. Carroll shot 48.7% from the field overall, 39.5% from 3. Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@ or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin. Support local journalism: Subscribe to today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: New Suns assistant DeMarre Carroll will head coach summer league team
