© Ron Chenoy- USA TODAY Sports
Breaking news hit the NBA world as the Phoenix Suns hired former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel in what would be a long-term deal for both sides, according to Shams Charania and Adrian Wojnarowski.
BREAKING: Suns plan to hire Frank Vogel as franchise’s next coach, sources tell ESPN. The parties are beginning to work on a long-term agreement. Vogel brings with him a 2020 NBA title and a history of building high-level defenses. pic.twitter.com/csF6bO8Bp7
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 2, 2023
Vogel’s recent success came in the bubble run with the Los Angeles Lakers when they defeated the Miami Heat in 6 games to capture their first career championship.
He is also fondly remembered for his time coaching the Indiana Pacers from 2007-2016 with Paul George and that crew that consistently made it to the Eastern Conference Championship.
He is a two-time All-Star game head coach dating back to 2014 and 2020. Vogel brings a lot of defensive intensity to his teams as the Pacers were ranked No. 1 during his tenure from 2013-2015. They finished 8th in 2015-16 and 3rd in 2016-17.
During his time with the Lakers, they finished fourth in 2019, second in 2020 and fell to 28th in the final year before being fired. Now Mat Ishbia, in his first coaching hire, is opting to go with experience on the defensive front to make the necessary improvements for the Suns.
The Suns are down to their final 3 head coaching candidates
Ishbia will be under a lot of pressure to get this signing right. Until then, we’ll just have to wait and see how this all works out for the Suns as they hope to return to the NBA Finals sooner rather than later.
