Sources: Suns finalizing deal with Vogel to coach

The Phoenix Suns are finalizing a deal to hire Frank Vogel as coach, sources told ESPN on Friday.

The Suns offered Vogel the job Friday morning and are expected to complete terms on a long-term deal that’ll deliver him the chance to coach All-NBA stars Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, the sources said.

Vogel emerged from a finalist group that included former Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers and Suns assistant Kevin Young, sources said. Vogel comes with a 2020 NBA championship as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, and a history of constructing elite defenses.

The Suns were engaged in talks with Nick Nurse among a group of finalists before eventually landing on Vogel, another championship coach. Nurse accepted the Sixers job. Mat Ishbia, general manager James Jones and CEO Josh Bartelstein were among the principals who worked through the process to secure Vogel.

The team has been pursuing a successor to Monty Williams, who was fired after Phoenix lost in the Western Conference semifinals to the eventual conference champion Denver Nuggets. Williams was hired earlier this week as the new head coach of the Detroit Pistons.

Phoenix gave strong consideration to Young, who was Williams’ top assistant, and are still hopeful that Young might stay on Vogel’s staff, sources said. Young has several options elsewhere in the NBA, too.

This will be the fourth time Vogel becomes a head coach, after stops with the Lakers, Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers. Before winning a title in L.A., Vogel led the Pacers to the Eastern Conference semifinals twice. Vogel has had the NBA’s top-rated defense three times in his career — twice with Indiana and once with the Lakers, according to ESPN Stats & Information.