Jordan Ott and Johnnie Bryant are reportedly the two finalists for the Suns’ head coaching position.
After a 64-win regular season led by a staff that boasts the NBA’s reigning Coach of the Year, it was only a matter of time before the Cleveland Cavaliers would start to have their braintrust poached by the competition. The tragic Phoenix Suns are just that team.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Suns have narrowed their head coaching search to two of the Cavs’ assistants – Jordan Ott and Johnnie Bryant.
The Phoenix Suns have narrowed their head coaching search to two finalists from the Cleveland Cavaliers, associate coach Johnnie Bryant and assistant Jordan Ott, sources tell ESPN. Both will meet with Suns owner Mat Ishbia in Michigan ahead of a hiring as soon as later this week. pic.twitter.com/6JSG8EiuaU
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 2, 2025
The Cavs stand to lose one of their top assistants on Kenny Atkinson’s bench, though it may be somewhat expected. Both Ott and Bryant have been in head coaching interview cycles in years past, so it was only a matter of time. Factor in that the Cavs were one of the two most dominant regular-season teams, and it makes sense that other teams are interested in the staff that helped to make it happen.
Phoenix is in a precarious position this offseason after a disastrous 2024-25 campaign that saw them miss the postseason entirely. The Suns are expected to pull the plug on their roster and start over — sans Devin Booker, who is reportedly part of the head coaching decision per ESPN. The Suns are really the only head coaching vacancy in the league right now, but the NBA Draft is right around the corner, followed closely by the all-important free agency period.
Part of the Suns’ disaster on their hands is due to the coaching carousel they have gotten on. After hiring one of the Cavs’ assistants, Phoenix will have four head coaches on their payroll — Monty Williams, Frank Vogel, Mike Budenholzer, and their newest hire.
Ott has also been on staff for the Atlanta Hawks (2013-16, with Atkinson), Brooklyn Nets (2016-22, again with Atkinson), and the Los Angeles Lakers (2022-24). Bryant has served as an assistant for the Utah Jazz (2012-20) and New York Knicks (2020-24). Bryant also played college ball at Utah before becoming a video coordinator for Suns owner Mat Ishbia’s Michigan State Spartans basketball program from 2008-2012.