Suns Reportedly Hire Assistant Coach

The Phoenix Suns have their first assistant coach under Mike Budenholzer, according to reports.

Feb 12, 2020; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz center Tony Bradley (left) reviews video with assistant coach Vince Legarza (right) prior to a game against the Miami Heat at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell Isabella-USA TODAY Sports / Russell Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns have reportedly made their first addition to Mike Budenholzer's coaching staff.

Per The Arizona Republic's Duane Rankin:

"The Phoenix Suns have landed Vince Legarza to work under new head coach Mike Budenholzer, sources inform The Arizona Republic.

"Legarza was an assistant in Milwaukee in Budenholzer's final season there in 2022-23. The Bucks finished 58-24 to land the top seed in the East, but the eighth-seeded Miami Heat eliminated them in the first round.

"Legarza wasn't retained as an assistant as the Bucks hired Adrian Griffin as their new head coach going into the 2023-24 season. Griffin was fired after a 30-13 start and replaced by Doc Rivers. Without injured Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks fell in the first round again, this time to the sixth-seeded Indiana Pacers."

Another name to watch as a potential addition to the coaching staff is Darvin Ham, who was recently fired from the Los Angeles Lakers. We recently highlighted why Ham makes sense in Phoenix - which you can read more about here.

Legarza previously held roles as an assistant coach and director of player development/advanced scouting and player development coach after starting out as a video coordinator with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2015.

According to The Athletic, Legarza was a previous favorite of Karl-Anthony Towns in Minnesota before the freshly-hired Tom Thibodeau cut him from the staff in May of 2018.