Sources: Suns hiring Fizdale as assistant coach

The Phoenix Suns are hiring David Fizdale as an assistant coach, luring him out of the Utah Jazz‘s front office with a substantial financial deal, sources told ESPN on Monday.

Fizdale, who had joined the Jazz’s front office as an associate general manager last year, has strong recent history with new Suns coach Frank Vogel and a longer-term relationship with general manager James Jones.

Fizdale joins associate head coach Kevin Young on Vogel’s coaching staff. The Suns made Young the league’s highest-paid assistant at $2 million-plus a year, sources said, before making a substantial financial commitment to Fizdale.

The Suns had been determined to surround Vogel with an accomplished and veteran staff. Fizdale has been a head coach for the New York Knicks and Memphis Grizzlies for parts of four seasons, including a Western Conference playoff berth in 2016-2017 with Memphis. He was 71-134 overall.

Fizdale joined the Jazz in June, where he quickly impacted the front office while working closely with general manager Justin Zanik. The Jazz were eager to keep Fizdale, but ultimately the financial considerations, and the chance to coach Devin Booker and Kevin Durant on a Western Conference contender, proved too much to turn down, sources said.

Fizdale spent eight years as an assistant with the Miami Heat, where he and Jones were part of two championship teams. Fizdale spent the 2021-2022 season under Vogel with the Lakers.