The Phoenix Suns will get the gears in motion for a coaching search after dismissing Igor Kokoskov from his duties on Monday. Among the top candidates are Philadelphia 76ers assistant Monty Williams and Portland Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool, both of whom the Suns will request permission to interview, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Williams is already among the candidates to score the Lakers' head coaching vacancy, along with Tyronn Lue. Vanterpool has had a strong reputation in the league, but had yet to flourish into a speculative option until this season.
The Suns, however, are dealing with plenty of instability, as they fired general manager Ryan McDonough a week before the start of the regular season, forced to piece it together in a rush.
James Jones, who was initially hired on an interim basis and later given the full role of general manager at the end of the season, likely wanted to have a coach of his own hire and needed very few excuses to fire Kokoskov, who mustered only 19 wins on the season, a step back from the 21 wins Phoenix got last season as the team with the worst record in the league.
However, that might be a blessing in disguise, as the Suns could once again win the first pick in the draft, though there's some speculation they would favor drafting Ja Morant over Zion Williamson due to their dire need for a starting-caliber point guard.
Whoever is hired will need to be on board with Jones' plans, as this slates to be the fifth coach in five years of Devin Booker's career in the league.
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