The Phoenix Suns “seriously considered” former Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers for their head coaching position, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

Rivers, who is 61, was a reported finalist for the Suns' job, along with Frank Vogel, who got the position, and the team's associate head coach, Kevin Young.

“I just know that as of yesterday, I was talking to somebody who was talking to somebody in the Suns' organization when the Suns were doing due diligence on Doc and Frank Vogel,” Windhorst said in “The Hoop Collective” podcast around the 35-minute mark. “…I mean, you pretty much know who Doc is at this point, but they were seriously looking at it.”

Doc Rivers is a championship coach, something the Suns seemed to covet. He won the 2008 title with the Boston Celtics, and his teams have made runs at championships throughout his 24-year coaching career.

The Suns ultimately hired Vogel, who won the 2020 championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. Phoenix needs to maximize a championship window with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker under contract for the next few years. Vogel has done well with stars, leading Paul George and the Indiana Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals before he coached LeBron James and Anthony Davis to a championship in Los Angeles.

Phoenix also considered Young, who Windhorst expects “to get a head coaching job in the short-term future,” for its next head coach. Young has gotten support from Booker and will remain on the Suns' staff in 2023-24 as the highest-paid assistant in the NBA.

The Suns will move toward an offseason in which they will have to build their roster around Booker and Durant.