Suns GM Brian Gregory working on proving to fans he was hired on experience not friendship
“I’m going to be held accountable to the success of this team,” Brian Gregory said.
Phoenix Suns team owner Mat Ishbia’s decision to elevate Brian Gregory from vice president of player programming to general manager is a major part of aligning ownership and the front office with the franchise’s vision.
Ishbia and Gregory are Michigan State guys and part of the university’s 2000 men’s national championship team. Ishbia was a walk-on while Gregory worked as an assistant under Tom Izzo.
Now, the Suns are looking for a head coach after missing the playoffs with a 36-46 record and firing Mike Budenholzer after one season.
Enter Jordan Ott.
The Cleveland Cavaliers assistant is a candidate for the vacancy along with fellow Cavs assistant Johnnie Bryant, Oklahoma City Thunder assistant Dave Bliss, Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Brooklyn Nets assistant Steve Hetzel, Dallas Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney, Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn, New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego and Suns assistant David Fizdale, league sources confirmed to The Arizona Republic this week.
This will be the fourth NBA head coach in four seasons for the Suns as Monty Williams, Frank Vogel and Budenholzer were fired after each of the last three seasons with Ishbia as team owner. Ishbia bought the Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury for a record $4 billion during the 2022-23 season.
When asked about Ott, league sources see him as a leading candidate in large part due to his ties to Michigan State. Ott was the Spartans’ video coordinator for five years as he earned a master’s degree in athletic administration from the university.
However, Ott has worked for four NBA teams as an assistant since his time at Michigan State and is viewed throughout the league as someone who is ready to be a head coach.
League sources describe Ott as being a grinder who studies the game and has very sound offensive and defensive strategies. He’s strong in player development and film session, is organized and a teacher of the game.
Ott’s duties at Michigan State included helping the coaching staff break down game and practice film and scouting opponents. He left the Spartans in 2013 for a video coordinator position with the Atlanta Hawks, where he worked under Budenholzer for three seasons from 2013 to 2016.
Ott has been with three more NBA teams since – Brooklyn Nets (2016-22), Los Angeles Lakers (2022-24) and Cavs to reunite with Kenny Atkinson, who won NBA Coach of the Year this season as Cleveland posted the best record in the Eastern Conference at 64-18.
Atkinson was previously a head coach in Brooklyn. Ott has worked under Steve Nash, Jacque Vaughn, and Darvin Ham as well.
The fifth-seeded Indiana Pacers eliminated the Cavs in the second round of the 2025 playoffs in five games.
Ott also has ties to Suns superstar Kevin Durant, who was in Brooklyn from 2019 to right before the 2023 trade deadline when the Suns acquired him in a blockbuster deal. Durant’s future with the Suns is uncertain as the team entertained trade talks for him before the 2025 trade deadline, but he and Ott have worked together.
The Cavs hired Ott and Bryant heading into the 2024-25 season. The two assistants were instrumental in Cleveland having a special season that factored in becoming candidates for head coach in Phoenix.
A league source described Bryant as a developer of talent and a strong communicator who can “build trust” with star players.
Bryant spent four seasons as associate head coach with the New York Knicks (2020-24) after working eight seasons for the Utah Jazz. He started in player development (2012-14) in Utah and then spent his final six seasons there as an assistant (2014-20).
The 39-year-old Bryant also ran the Bryant Sports Academy for three years (2009-2012) in helping develop the skills of NBA players and European players.
Having worked for Tom Thibodeau in New York as well as Tyrone Corbin and Ryan Saunders in Utah and now Atkinson in Cleveland, those experiences have helped Bryant become a well-rounded coach who can adapt, league sources say.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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