Vogel is headed to Phoenix.
The Phoenix Suns are in the final stages of finalizing the hiring of Frank Vogel as their new head coach, ESPN reported on Wednesday. The deal is for five years and a total of $31 million.
After failing to win a championship this season, Phoenix parted ways with longtime head coach Monty Williams and searched for a new leader. The team reportedly actively courted Nick Nurse, but Nurse chose Philadelphia over Phoenix.
Knox wasn’t the only name being mentioned as a possible candidate for Phoenix’s new head coach. There were veterans like Doc Rivers and younger names like Kevin Young. In the end, Phoenix chose Frank Vogel.
Vogel, who has coached in Indiana, Orlando, and the Lakers, has had some of his best moments as a head coach to date, including the 2019-2020 season when he led the Lakers. After coaching the league’s best defense, Vogel was all smiles as he savored the championship.
But the glory was short-lived. The following year, Vogel’s Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The 2021-2022 season saw an ambitious comeback with the acquisition of Russell Westbrook, but the team suffered the humiliation of not even making it to the play-in tournament. Vogel was eventually pushed out as head coach and spent the season as a free agent.
Vogel’s time with the Lakers exposed a lot of problems and left a lot to be desired. However, his experience at the top of the game may have appealed to Phoenix, an extreme win-now organization. Vogel certainly has the advantage of having built one of the best defenses in the league with Indiana and the Lakers.스포츠토토
Vogel, who partnered with LeBron James with the Lakers, will be paired with another top-tier forward in Kevin Durant in Phoenix. Durant joins Steve Nash, Jacques Vaughn, and Monty Williams as Vogel’s fourth head coach in seven months.
Meanwhile, Phoenix is reportedly hoping to keep Kevin Young, who had been a leading candidate for the new head coach position, with the team. It’s possible that Young could end up leaving Phoenix for a job elsewhere in the NBA.