For the past week or so it’s been presumed that Mike Budenholzer and David Fizdale have been the leading candidates for the Suns’ coaching job.
Budenholzer and Fizdale, along with interim coach Jay Triano, are the only three coaches reported to have had in-person interviews with General Manager Ryan McDonough.
The Suns were thought to be extremely interested in Budenholzer, in part because of his success in Atlanta – he was the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 2014-15. They also had asked the Hawks for permission to talk to Budenholzer, despite his contract (two years, $14 million) and the fact Atlanta would want compensation for losing its head coach.