With the recent firing of general manager Ryan McDonough, the Phoenix Suns are looking into possible candidates who can fit into the long-term goals of the organization. Kevin McHale is apparently a candidate for the gig:
Suns announce firing of GM Ryan McDonough. James Jones and Trevor Bukstein will be interims. One candidate to watch long-term: Kevin McHale.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 8, 2018
While James Jones and Trevor Bukstein will handle GM duties on an interim basis, the Suns are still on a lookout for the best long-term candidate for the position.
McHale, a former head coach and vice president of basketball operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves, had his own ups and downs in assuming front-office duties. The Wolves will forever thank him for drafting Kevin Garnett in the 1995 draft, but since that point moving forward, the team went through a rocky road under McHale's leadership.
During Garnett's 12-year stint with the team, the Wolves only got through the first round once. That fact should spell out how effective or ineffective McHale was in building a supporting cast around Garnett. The former Boston Celtics superstar also violated the league's legal transaction rules as he allegedly negotiated an under-the-table deal with forward Joe Smith.
McHale also had his share of draft day blunders. During the 1996 draft, the Wolves drafted Ray Allen, only to trade him for Stephon Marbury. In 2006, the team drafted Brandon Roy but swapped him for Randy Foye, who was picked after the former.
Even so, McHale actually has a knack for hiring good coaches like Flip Saunders and Dwane Casey. He was also responsible for the draft day swap centered on the Wolves' third overall pick, O.J. Mayo and the Memphis Grizzlies' fifth overall pick, Kevin Love. Love would go on to be a wrecking force with the Wolves, while Mayo's career spiraled downward after a couple of seasons.
McHale recently coached with the Houston Rockets, but he was fired early in the 2015-16 season.
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