Top 5 candidates to replace Frank Vogel on Phoenix Suns ft. JJ Redick

The Phoenix Suns are moving on from Frank Vogel after just one season, the team announced on Thursday. Last summer, the Suns signed Vogel to a five-year, $31 million contract. He failed to lead the team to a victory in the playoffs' first round, getting swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Phoenix now has to address one more issue as they head into the offseason: hiring a good replacement for Vogel. The coach led the team to a 49-33 record, but that wasn't enough to secure his job. With that, here's a look at the five candidates whom the front office could consider.

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5 coaches who the Phoenix Suns could hire

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#5 JJ Redick

There were reports that JJ Redick was interviewed by the Charlotte Hornets recently for their head coaching vacancy. As a former player, Redick has a know-how on how the system works and can easily understand the players' perspective. However, he's inexperienced in coaching at the professional level.

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The Hornets announced the hiring of Charles Lee, the lead assistant for the Boston Celtics, on Thursday. So, Redick is still available to be signed by any team.

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#4, Terry Stotts

The Suns could look into hiring Terry Stotts as their new coach. Although he hasn't won a title yet, Stotts knows how modern game plans work. Given his experience leading teams to multiple postseason appearances, the coach could be suited to be the Phoenix Suns' new leader.

Stotts has a record of 517-486; he's also been in the postseason multiple times. When he was with the Portland Trail Blazers, he was able to make things work with one All-Star. Now, imagine what he could do with three All-Stars.

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#3, Mike D'Antoni

A reunion between the Suns and Mike D'Antoni could be an unexpected event for the organization. Known for his fast-paced offense, D'Antoni revolutionized how modern offenses work when he was with Phoenix. Although they don't have a great facilitator like Steve Nash, at least they have one of the best scorers in Kevin Durant.

The last coaching job D'Antoni had was with the Brooklyn Nets during the 2020-21 season as an assistant. He's now a coaching advisor for the New Orleans Pelicans. The veteran coach had experience coaching Durant with the Nets under Nash, which could be an easy transition if they hire him. With three high-powered scorers, the coach's offense would surprise the entire league.

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#2, Adrian Griffin

Adrian Griffin had an unfortunate firing during the middle of last season despite having a 30-13 record. The Suns have the perfect chance to snag him during the offseason as there hasn't been a team that has drawn interest in signing him.

Griffin spent a significant amount of time as an assistant coach. In 2019, he was part of the Toronto Raptors squad that won the NBA championship. If a championship coach is what the Phoenix Suns need, Griffin is their guy as he's experienced what it takes to win the title.

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#1, Mike Budenholzer

We can't talk about championship coaches without mentioning Mike Budenholzer. In 2021, he led the Milwaukee Bucks to the title, ironically, against the Suns. Budenholzer has also won the Coach of the Year award twice in his career. He won in 2015 with the Atlanta Hawks and in 2019 with the Bucks.

Signing Bud could be the Phoenix Suns' fix to everything that's wrong with the team. It's also fitting that he's one of the candidates that the front office has been considering.

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Bud is their guy as he's experienced what it has to take to win a title and lead a superteam full of lethal scorers.

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