According to ESPN, the Phoenix Suns and Frank Vogel are finalising a five-year contract to appoint him the franchise’s new coach.
According to insiders, the Suns offered Vogel the position on Friday morning and are approaching conclusion on a long-term contract that will provide him the opportunity to coach All-NBA players Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.
Vogel was chosen from a group that included former Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers and Suns assistant Kevin Young, according to sources. Vogel brings a 2020 NBA championship as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as a track record of building great defences.
The Suns interviewed Nick Nurse among a group of contenders before settling on Vogel, another championship coach. This week, Nurse took a position with the Sixers. The principals that went through the process to get Vogel were Mat Ishbia, general manager James Jones, and CEO Josh Bartelstein.
The organisation has been looking for a replacement for Monty Williams, who was sacked after the Phoenix Suns were eliminated in the Western Conference playoffs by the eventual conference champion Denver Nuggets. Williams was named the next head coach of the Detroit Pistons earlier this week.
Phoenix gave Young, Williams’ top assistant, serious consideration, and the organisation is hoping that Young will remain on Vogel’s staff, according to sources. Young also has various alternatives in the NBA.
This will be Vogel’s fourth stint as a head coach, after stints with the Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic, and Indiana Pacers. Vogel took the Pacers to the Eastern Conference playoffs twice before capturing a championship in Los Angeles. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Vogel has had the NBA’s top-rated defence three times in his career, once with Indiana and once with the Lakers.
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