The new Suns coach is confirmed, Booker welcomes the 8th coach in 8 years

On June 5, according to ESPN authoritative reporter Shams Charania, several sources revealed that the Phoenix Suns have identified the new head coach: they will hire Jordan Ott, assistant coach from the Cleveland Cavaliers, to take charge of the coach. Ultra defeated another Cavaliers assistant coach Johnny Bryant in the competition, which will also be his first time in his personal career as head coach for an NBA team.

The Suns have changed frequently in the head coach position in recent years, which can be called "changing coaches is like changing swords." From Monty Williams to Frank Vogel, to Mike Budenholzer, who was just fired this summer, three former coaches left one after another. It is worth noting that Vogel and Budenholzer were both meritorious coaches who led the team to win the NBA championship. What is particularly stunning is that Budenholzer signed a five-year contract worth more than $50 million only a year ago (last year offseason), but ended up in a bleak situation after only one season coaching.

Budenholzer's quick dismissal is directly related to the Suns' disappointing performance over the past season. In the just-concluded 2023-24 season, the Suns, which have a luxurious lineup, only achieved a record of 36 wins and 46 losses, ranking 11th in the Western Conference. Not only did they miss the playoffs, they didn't even get the qualification for the playoffs. Such results are obviously far below the expectations of the team and fans, so Budenholzer's departure is not surprising.

After multiple rounds of interviews and inspections, the Suns finally set their sights on Cavaliers assistant coach Jordan Ultra. According to the Suns reporter John Gambadoro, the two sides have reached a four-year coaching contract.

Jordan Otter joined the Cavaliers with Kenny Atkinson's coaching staff in 2024 and became an important assistant coach for the team. He helped the Cavaliers achieve an impressive record of 64 wins and 18 losses in the past regular season, ranking first in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, the Cavaliers failed in the playoff Eastern Conference semifinals. In addition to his experience in the Cavaliers, Ultra also has rich experience in coaching and has served as assistant coaches for the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers. Now that he takes the lead, whether he can lead the Suns in trouble back to the ranks of strong teams will be a major highlight of the new season.

It is worth mentioning that Devin Booker, the Suns' star, has experienced an amazing eight head coach change in his eight seasons of playing for the team: Hornersek, Earl Watson, Jay Triano, Kokoshkov, Monty Williams, Frank Vogel, Mike Budenholzer, and now the new coach Jordan Ott. One of Ultra's top priorities after taking office is undoubtedly to establish a solid relationship with the core star and lead the team out of the trough.