Interestingly, the Suns head coaching candidate has been reduced to 2 final candidates, both of which are the Cavaliers assistant coaches.

Suns owner Matt Ishbiya has narrowed the coaching candidate to two final candidates, both of whom are assistant coaches for the Cavaliers.

As the appointment of the new head coach of the Phoenix Suns approaches, Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Johnny Bryant and Jordan Otter have been nominated as the two final candidates to replace Mike Budenholzer, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Two Cavaliers assistant coaches will meet with Suns senior and boss Matt Ishbiya in Michigan this week before making the final decision.

The league has already participated in the selection of head coaches for the Suns and entered the second round of interviews. Miami Heat long-time assistant coach Chris Quinn and Suns assistant coach David Fitzdale are considered popular along with Bryant and Ott before head coaching finally narrowed to two candidates on Monday.

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Superstar guard Devin Booker participated in the coach's search and provided feedback to Ishbiya throughout the process. The Suns are committed to ensuring Booker continues to be the team’s head coach for the foreseeable future, so he is closely related to the team’s next head coach.

This head coach search will also affect Kevin Durant's future in the team. Durant is the most hotly discussed star in trading rumors before the trading deadline this season, and entering the offseason, he has once again become the focus of trading negotiations. The decision to hire Kobe or Ultra will likely mean Durant's career at Phoenix will end as the two-time Finals MVP is about to enter the final year of his contract.

Kobe, 39, worked as a player development assistant for the Utah Jazz in 2014. There, he established a deep friendship with All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell and played a key role in Mitchell's early development. He then joined the New York Knicks in 2020 as assistant head coach for Tom Thibodeau. Last year, he reunited with Mitchell with the Cleveland Cavaliers as an assistant coach for Kenny Atkinson.

Ott served as an assistant coach for four seasons with the Brooklyn Nets before joining the Los Angeles Lakers in 2022. He also joined Atkinson’s coaching team in Cleveland last offseason and played a key role in working with talented players in the frontcourt, especially Evan Mobley. This season, Mobley was selected as the All-Star for the first time and was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year in the 2024-25 season.

Kobe and Ultra both made important contributions to the success of the Cleveland Cavaliers this season, with the Cavaliers finally winning 64 games and topping the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers are the top team in the NBA offensive rankings and the top ten in defense.

After missing the playoffs with a record of 36 wins and 46 losses, Ishbiya and the Suns emphasized the need to hire a head coach with experience in winning the championship. Given the Cavaliers’ success this season, the reasons why Bryant and Ultra stood out in this coaching search are obvious. The Suns will make a final decision after their final meeting with the two candidates later this week.