Hey, the Suns have a new coach.
Just In: The Phoenix Suns are hiring Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott as the franchise’s new head coach, sources tell ESPN. Ott has been an NBA assistant since 2012 and has a strong background of offensive and defensive creativity, player development and communication. pic.twitter.com/doDE6Fahdj
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 4, 2025
Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Jordan Ott will become the 4th head coach in the last 4 years for the Phoenix Suns.
Yike.
So who the fuck is Jordan Ott?
Jordan Ott is a 40-year old from a little surburb in Pennsylvania. He started his coaching career in 2013 as a video coordinator for the Atlanta Hawks under Mike Budenhozer—the recently fired Suns coach.
He then moved on to become an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets from 2016- 2022, working under Jacque Vaughn, Kenny Atkinson and Steve Nash.
Ott spent the 2022-23 season as Darvin Ham’s assistant but if you’re a Suns fan, let’s just say he spent that year learning from Lebron James instead. Although, to be fair to Darvin Ham, I could argue that he taught Ott which hotels have the best breakfast spreads.
Last season, Ott was on the coaching staff of the Cleveland Cavaliers—the team that finished 1st in offensive rating and had the 2nd-best net rating in the NBA.
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, Jordan Ott is not a boring retread hire of some coach who used to be great pre-AI.
Monty Williams, Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer are all out of the league.
The future is now, old men.
What does the Jordan Ott hiring mean for the Phoenix Suns offseason?
Get Kevin Durant’s geriatric terminally online, weirdo ass OUT OF HERE. Since leaving Golden State, Durant brings awkward vibes wherever he goes, turning promising teams into “what-if’s”.
Reports are pretty clear about one thing: Kevin Durant will not be on the Suns next season.
Good.
Last season, Durant got his little 26.6 points a game with his typical historically great efficiency andddd the Suns missed the playoffs because built their team around a 36-year old with zero playmaking ability, no offball anything—oftentimes willing to just stand in the corner with his hands on his knees whenever he feels like it—and flimsy little damaged legs that make him BBQ chicken on defense.
Pair that with Bradley Beal—a mediocre player who miraculously tricked the dumbest Wizards regime into giving him a no-trade clause that he is now using to punish the Suns with.
Devin Booker was the engine of 2021 that lost in the Finals to the Milwaukee Bucks so with a new, young head coach, it looks like the Suns will finally remember Booker is the star of the team and will look to put a team and nightly gameplan that highlights his strengths and covers his weaknesses—instead of just adding guys who were good at the tailend ofthe Obama administration.
Best Case Scenario
Whether the Kevin Durant trade returns them a bunch of future first-rounders and some young, budding talent or the Suns acquire useful rotational players, Phoenix will be in an astronomically better position post-Durant trade.
A younger, new head coach implies Phoenix’s willingness to build from the bottom up, the right way, instead of jumping at All-Stars who just want to golf in Arizona and play some NBA games in their free time.
Phoenix could end up with all of Houston’s young prospects, including Amen Thompson, who made an All-Defense Team this season. Perhaps Mikal Bridges makes his triumphant return to the Suns, sending Durant to New York. Even Julius Randle and Rob Dillingham will be better for the Suns than whatever the fuck they were trying to do last year.
The Kevin Durant sacrifice will heal this franchise.
Worst Case Scenario
Mat Ishbia is still the worst owner in the NBA, actively fighting in court for his nasty, predatory, scamming mortgage business. The Phoenix Suns/Mercury are also battling lawsuits for discrimination and racism.
Ishbia is a Michigan State alum. So is Jordan Ott. This hiring is coming off the heels of hiring a new general manager, Brian Gregory, a Michigan State alum.
So the owner is a scammer who only hires guys who ate in the same college cafeteria as him
Ishbia hired a first-time NBA head coach because they know the same professors or whatever.
As long as Ishbia runs this organization, the Phoenix Suns will never witness success.
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