The Suns plan to hire Frank Vogel, who helped the Lakers to the 2020 NBA title, to lead the team according to a report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The two sides are nearing a five-year deal worth $31 million, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Vogel, who previously coached the Pacers (2011 to ’16), Magic (’16 to ’18) and Lakers (’19 to ’22) has an all-time record of 431–389, with a 49–39 postseason mark. He is best known for guiding Los Angeles to the NBA championship in the Orlando bubble, going 52–19 with a 16–5 postseason record in his first year coaching LeBron James, Anthony Davis & Co.
The news comes just minutes after Marc J. Spears of Andscape reported that former Sixers, Clippers and Celtics coach Doc Rivers pulled his name out of the Suns’ search.
Phoenix went 45–37, falling to the Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals in six games to end their 2022–23 season, after which coach Monty Williams was fired.
The appointment of Vogel marks the first major coaching hire under the ownership of Mat Ishbia, who purchased the franchise from Robert Sarver earlier this year. He made a major splash just days later, signing off on a trade with the Nets for Kevin Durant, a clear signal that the team—which also features stars in Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton—planned to go all-out in competing for an NBA title.
The trade did not materialize in the kind of immediate success that many envisioned for Phoenix, and Durant missed significant time with injury, returning just before the playoffs. The team knocked off the Clippers in five games to open postseason play, but did not have an answer for Nikola Jokić and Denver, falling in six games a round later.
