Kevin Durant already seems to have one foot out the door in Phoenix, but a rumored target for the team’s now-vacant head coaching job could give Durant something to think about.
NBA writer Chris Haynes reported Monday that two-time NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown is among the names that the Suns are considering at head coach after firing Mike Budenholzer. Brown has himself been out of work ever since being fired by the Sacramento Kings last December.
Brown, 55, is a very familiar figure to the Suns star Durant. He served as an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors under Steve Kerr throughout Durant’s entire time there (from 2016-19). Brown was even the acting head coach for the Warriors during the 2017 playoffs when Kerr had to miss time due to recurring back issues.
On top of that, Brown has plenty of other experience coaching stars. He coached LeBron James in Cleveland, coached Kobe Bryant on the Los Angeles Lakers, coached Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in Golden State, and coached De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis in Sacramento.
If the Suns do end up hiring Brown, who has a career head coaching record of 454-304 (.599) with seven total playoff appearances, it would create an interesting situation for Durant. The former MVP Durant has one year left on his contract with Phoenix, and the Suns may reportedly have been trying to appease him by firing Budenholzer.
That said though, the overwhelming expectation remains that Phoenix will trade away Durant, 36, this offseason. Brown is also far from a sure thing to become the Suns’ next coach, especially since the team is said to be eyeing a current NBA head coach whom they are very familiar with.
