Phoenix Suns coach candidates if Mike Budenholzer doesn’t replace Frank Vogel

Mike Budenholzer has emerged as the favorite coaching candidate to land the Phoenix Suns' head coach job, according to reports.

But he's not the only potential candidate to replace Frank Vogel in Phoenix.

While a lot of Suns coach speculation immediately turned to Budenholzer, a former coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and Arizona native, other names came up in chatter to coach the Phoenix NBA team.

Yes, Budenholzer is far from alone on NBA writers' lists for candidates for the next Phoenix Suns coach.

Check out some of the other names being mentioned as a possibility in Phoenix, in case the team ends up not landing Budenholzer.

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Sam Quinn listed four options for Suns coach besides Budenholzer: Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, NBA insider JJ Redick, Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former Suns assistant Kevin Young.

That site's options, however, might not really be options, with Lue possibly staying in LA, Billups still in Portland and Young having just left to be the head coach of BYU.

It isn't known if Phoenix has any interest in Redick, but Quinn wrote of the ESPN analyst: "The things have attracted these other teams should attract the Suns as well. Redick's X's and O's acumen is on display in his various media jobs. He's a recent enough player to plausibly connect with an aging Suns roster. He played against every member of Phoenix's core, at least. You never quite know what you're getting when you hire a coach with no experience. Sometimes it's Derek Fisher. Sometimes it's Steve Kerr. The league-wide interest in Redick suggests that there is faith that he's going to come closer to the Kerr end of the spectrum. He's a risky hire, but that makes the reward potentially that much higher."

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Gerald Bourguet has Budenholzer, Lue, Billups and Redick listed, but also has Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon and former Brooklyn Nets coach Kenny Atkinson among his candidates.

Of Hammon, he writes: "Would it be an incredible accomplishment for Hammon to become the first female head coach in NBA history? Absolutely. Will that NBA paycheck hit slightly different? No doubt. But will she leave a great situation with the Aces just for the sake of being able to say she made history? No. With that being said, there is a case to be made for the Phoenix Suns being the type of job that might be enticing to a first-time NBA head coach. Hammon would get to coach established superstars like Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal from day one — something not many coaches in the league get to enjoy at any point in their careers."

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USA TODAY Sports: More potential candidates for Suns coaching job than Mike Budenholzer

In addition to Budenholzer, the site lists Lue and Redick as possibilities in Phoenix, but it has three other names: Denver Nuggets assistant David Adelman, former Oklahoma City Thunder coach Scott Brooks and former Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts.

Of Stotts, Jeff Zillgitt and Jon Hoefling write: "Stotts, who played college basketball and professionally in the CBA and overseas, is a strong offensive coach and is very good at calling plays late in the fourth quarter of close games. He adopted quickly to the NBA’s pace and space style. Stotts didn’t return to the Blazers after the 2020-21 season and accepted a job on Adrian Griffin’s Milwaukee Bucks staff last season. But after the Bucks acquired Damian Lillard, who Stotts coached in Portland, Stotts resigned as an assistant."

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For The Win: Coaches with Suns ties among potential candidates for job, in addition to Mike Budenholzer

The site gives Budenholzer the best odds to become Suns coach, but it has some very interesting names among its eight other candidates for the job, including former Suns coach Mike D'Antoni, who it puts second in odds to become the team's next coach.

Kind of hard to see that happening.

Former Brooklyn Nets coach and Suns star Steve Nash is also included (although he is eighth in the site's odds), as is former Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham, former Milwaukee Bucks coach Adrian Griffin, Atkinson, Brooks, current Suns assistant David Fizdale and Redick.

About that D'Antoni possibility, Prince J. Grimes writes: "D’Antoni has a lot of history with this franchise, and plenty experience coaching stars. Maybe he’d be able to get the most out of the offensive talent on this team."

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Sportsnaut: Five ideal replacements for Frank Vogel include Mike Budenholzer, Mark Jackson, Sam Cassell

Again, Budenholzer appears to be the favorite, but this site lists Atkinson, Hammon, former Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson and longtime NBA assistant Sam Cassell as other options.

Of Jackson, Vincent Frank writes: "This former Warriors head coach has not manned an NBA bench since back in 2014. Despite this, he’s still widely respected around league circles. In fact, Jackson has been bandied about for the Los Angeles Lakers’ opening. It must be noted that Jackson helped set into motion the Warriors’ dynasty by leading them to consecutive playoff appearances before Steve Kerr took over."

Who would be your choice as the next coach of the Phoenix Suns?

Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Suns coach candidates extend beyond Mike Budenholzer