The Cleveland Cavaliers just lost one of their key assistants.
According to a report by Shams Charania, the Phoenix Suns have found a new head coach.
Former Cavs assistant coach Jordan Ott will take the reins of the team for the upcoming campaign.
Just In: The Phoenix Suns are hiring Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott as the franchise's new head coach, sources tell ESPN. Ott has been an NBA assistant since 2012 and has a strong background of offensive and defensive creativity, player development and communication. pic.twitter.com/doDE6Fahdj
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 4, 2025
Ott has been an assistant coach for over a decade, and he began his coaching career as a video coordinator at Michigan State.
The 40-year-old beat fellow Cavs assistant Johnnie Bryant among other candidates for the position.
Bryant, however, is being considered for the New York Knicks’ head coaching vacancy, so he could also be on his way out.
Suns owner Mat Ishbia and GM Brian Gregory reportedly considered more than a dozen candidates over the past six weeks since they parted ways with coach Mike Budenholzer.
He will now be the Suns’ fourth coach in as many seasons, filling in for Monty Williams, Frank Vogel, and the aforementioned Budenholzer.
Ott entered the NBA as a video coordinator for the Atlanta Hawks back in 2013 after five years under legendary Spartans coach Tom Izzo.
He was later an assistant coach with the Brooklyn Nets, where he also worked alongside coach Kenny Atkinson.
Ott joined the Los Angeles Lakers from 2022 to 2024 after his long tenure in Brooklyn, before being reunited with Atkinson in Cleveland.
Now, he will take the reins of a team that has moved on from two championship-winning coaches in the past couple of seasons, and with all the uncertainty surrounding their roster, this was a major gamble.
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