NBA

Suns hire Jordan Ott as head coach

The Suns need stability. This job has been a revolving door since Mike D’Antoni held it from 2003-2008, leading to Ott being the 11th Suns head coach since then. To make matters worse, he’ll be Phoenix’s fourth head coach in the last four seasons, as Monty Williams, Frank Vogel, and Mike Budenholzer were all dismissed under questionable circumstances. It’s reasonable to expect Ott, a younger head coach, to receive a longer leash than his predecessors, but nothing is guaranteed under owner Mat Ishbia.

Ishbia isn’t the only man running the show in the desert, as newly-promoted general manager Brian Gregory holds influence, too. Gregory, having spent nearly all of his career at the college level, is even more unproven than Ott, so the Suns will be lacking the requisite experience needed to navigate treacherous waters this summer.

Those waters, of course, are choppy due to the future of Kevin Durant. It’s hard to envision the 36-year-old playing in Phoenix next season, and it’s just as hard to envision the Suns successfully managing his trade market. The return received for the 15-time All-Star will dictate the trajectory of the Suns under Ott, but it likely won’t be promising.

Grade: C+