Phoenix Suns make decision on new head coach after scandalized season
By JAKE NISSE and JAKE FENNER
The Phoenix Suns have made a decision on their next head coach following a disastrous season.
After the team missed the play-in tournament with a 36-46 record, coach Mike Budenholzer was fired in April after just one year at the helm.
And now, the team has agreed to hire Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
Ott is a longtime assistant coach, having served in the role for the Brooklyn Nets, LA Lakers and Cavaliers before this promotion.
He began his NBA career as a video coordinator for the Hawks in 2013, before moving on to Brooklyn three years later, jumping to LA in 2022 and joining the Cavs last year.
Ott and his now-former Cleveland colleague, associate head coach Johnnie Bryant, had reportedly emerged as the two finalists for the Phoenix job before Wednesday's announcement.
Jordan Ott has reportedly agreed to become the next coach of the Phoenix Suns
Kevin Durant and the Suns stumbled to just 36 wins last season and missed the play-in
Both had been part of a Cleveland staff which led the Cavs to 64 wins this regular season - the second-best mark in the team's history.
Ott's hiring comes amid a tumultuous year for Phoenix both on and off the court.
For starters, Phoenix fell well below expectations as their league-leading payroll and core of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal saw them finish just 11th in the Western Conference.
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Durant, 36, is widely expected to be moved this offseason.
On top of that, four current or former employees have sue the franchise in the last seven months, with all alleging discrimination of some kind.
Most recently, Gene Traylor, the team's director of safety, security, and risk management filed a suit claiming he was demoted from his job after submitting a presentation to Suns management highlighting his concerns about potential security threats.
The team said they were being 'extorted' by Traylor's legal team.
Back in November, the Suns' program manager of diversity, equity and inclusion - Andrea Trischan - also filed a lawsuit alleging harassment, racial discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination. She is seeking $60million in damages.
In March, Jason Cope - who had worked for the team's SunsVision department for over a decade - sued the team saying he was misclassified as an independent contractor. This denied him benefits and overtime.
Mike Budenholzer was relieved of his duties after just one season with the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns owners Justin Ishbia (L) and Mat Ishbia (R) are seen in February 2023
Cope is alleging age discrimination, claiming that half-a-dozen other Suns employees were transferred to contractor status while the franchise hired multiple younger employees as full-time staff.
Finally, in April, an anonymous former employee - identified as Jane Doe - alleged racial and gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation by a former Suns executive.
Traylor's lawsuit also alleged that Suns and Phoenix Mercury CEO Josh Bartelstein had engaged in affair with former Mercury player Sophie Cunningham.
Both Cunningham and the Suns have strongly denied the claims, with the Suns branding the allegations 'morally reprehensible.'
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