Suns rumor: Head coach candidate "gets support from key players"

David Fitzdale is likely to be the final candidate for the Phoenix Suns head coach as he will conduct a third round of interviews. The Phoenix Suns are still struggling to find a coach to lead their team and it looks like they have several possible options. According to veteran NBA writer Mark J Spears, one of the options was the team’s assistant coach last season, and he is likely to be the final candidate for the position.

"Suns assistant coach and former NBA head coach David Fitzdale is expected to be in the third round of interview for the Suns head coaching position. The former Grizzlies and Knicks head coach also received support from some key Suns players," Spears wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Fizdale has been with the Suns since 2023, serving as an assistant coach during Frank Vogel's head coach. Vogel coached for only one season before Mike Budenholzer was hired as head coach and Fitzdale continued as deputy head coach for the Suns. Unfortunately, Budenholzer has only coached for one season, and the Suns are now looking for another head coach.

Fizdale has extensive coaching experience in the league and has played for multiple teams throughout his career. His most recent coach was in 2018 to coach the Knicks, but he only persisted until 2019 with the team's 4 wins and 18 losses.

Prior to that, he served as head coach for the Memphis Grizzlies and helped the team to the playoffs in his first season, but was fired the following season due to a poor start to the season.

Who will the Suns hire as their next head coach?

A few days ago, several names were considered likely to compete for the Suns coaches, including Fitzdale, Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Jordan Ott and Johnny Bryant, Oklahoma City Thunder assistant coach Dave Bliss, Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Mica Norry, Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Sean Sweeney, Miami Heat assistant coach Chris Quinn, New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach James Borrego and Brooklyn Nets assistant coach Steve Hezel.

All of these names appear to be candidates for head coaching next season and future Suns, but the future direction of the team's roster is also crucial, as some major changes may occur during the offseason.

One of the changes is Kevin Durant, who may be working with the Suns to find a trading partner.