The Phoenix Suns on Friday have reached a deal with veteran NBA coach Frank Vogel to become the team’s next head coach.
The 49-year-old coch will receive $31 million in wages and closed a contract valid for five seasons.
Vogel won an NBA championship coaching the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. With LeBron James and Anthony Davis, that was enough to win a title after a run through the Disney bubble following a COVID-19 restart of the NBA.
Vogel was fired two years later after a 33-49 season in 2021-22. He was one of five finalists for the Suns position.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Vogel’s connectivity and collaborative approach has given the franchise confidence that this could be a lasting partnership.
“JUST IN: Frank Vogel is finalizing a deal to become the new head coach of the Phoenix Suns.” Charania wrote.
In recent days, the coach has participated in some meetings with the owner of the Suns, Mat Ishbia, and president James Jones.
In addition, Vogel has experience directing superstars. In Indiana, he led Paul George’s Pacers to two Eastern Conference Finals (2013 and 2014). In Los Angeles, he managed James and Anthony Davis and was champion.
Therefore, the Suns management hopes that the coach will repeat the success with stars Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. That is, lead the Phoenix team to the unprecedented title.
The Suns come from good campaigns in the last three years. After all, it was runner-up (2021) and Western Conference finalist (2022).
However, in the current season, the team fell to the Denver Nuggets in the semifinals, after a series of six games. The elimination then caused Williams to leave.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Suns hope to keep Young among the assistants who will be part of Vogel’s coaching staff.
