Suns hire veteran coach Frank Vogel to lead franchise

PHOENIX(AP) — The Phoenix Suns hired former NBA champion coach Frank Vogelon Friday to replace Monty Williams, a person with knowledge of thedecision told The Associated Press.

The personspoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team had notannounced the move.

The49-year-old Vogel has been the coach of the Indiana Pacers, OrlandoMagic and Los Angeles Lakers during his career and now moves to theSuns, where he’ll try to help the franchise win its first title inits 55-year history with a roster that includes stars Kevin Durant,Devin Booker and Chris Paul.

Vogel ledthe Lakers to an NBA title in 2020 when the league finished itsseason in the Florida bubble. He has a 431-389 career record over11 seasons and a 49-39 mark in the playoffs.

Phoenixfired Williams on May 13 despite four successful seasons, includingan NBA Finals appearance in 2021 and a coach of the year award in2022. But the Suns also experienced two straight embarrassingplayoff exits — trailing by 30 points at halftime of eliminationgames at home.

The Sunswere tied to several candidates during their nearly three-weeksearch, including assistant Kevin Young and bigger names like NickNurse and Doc Rivers. On Friday, they settled on Vogel, who isknown for his defensive acumen.

He’s alsowell-versed in coaching superstar players, helping LeBron James tohis most recent title.

New Sunsowner Mat Ishbia hasn’t been shy about shaking up the franchisesince he took over in February, adding the 13-time All-Star Durantin a blockbuster trade deadline deal. Despite the bold move, theSuns lost in the second round of the playoffs to the DenverNuggets.

Now Ishbiahas overseen a coaching change and it remains to be seen howaggressive the front office will be in reshaping the roster. Theassumption is that Booker — a three-time All-Star who averagednearly 36 points per game in a brilliant postseason performance —and Durant will be back.

The rest ofthe roster is in flux.

The biggestquestions surround Paul and former No. 1 draft pick Deandre Ayton,who were both out with injuries by the end of the playoffs.

The38-year-old Paul was solid when he was on the court for the Sunsthis season, but his body gave out again in the playoffs and hemissed the final four games with a strained left groin. He’s undercontract for next season with a partially guaranteed deal.

The24-year-old Ayton was ineffective in the team’s second-round seriesagainst the Nuggets, averaging 10.8 points and 8.2 rebounds, whichwere both well below his season and career averages. He suffered arib contusion in Game 5 and watched the final game of the seasonfrom the bench.