Report: Suns eyeing Kings’ Jordi Fernández as head coaching candidate

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Phoenix Suns are expected to target Sacramento Kings associate head coach Jordi Fernández as one of the candidates for their coaching vacancy.

Fernández, 40, just wrapped up his first season with the Kings as NBA Head Coach of the Year winner Mike Brown’s number-one assistant on a coaching staff that has helped build a winning culture in Sacramento.

ESPN Sources: The Suns have started to gather permission on several assistants for head coaching interviews, including Sacramento’s Jordi Fernandez, Milwaukee’s Charles Lee and Memphis’ Darko Rajakovic.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) May 18, 2023

Fernández filled in as acting head coach for three games in late December–one after Brown got ejected and two when Brown entered health and safety protocols–as he became the first Spanish head coach to secure an NBA win.

The seasoned assistant has coached alongside Brown on the Nigeria men’s basketball team since the 2020 Olympic games. For three seasons, Fernández served as an assistant and head coach in the G-League for the Canton Charge before making the jump to the NBA in 2016, where he coached under former Kings head coach Michael Malone with the Denver Nuggets for six seasons.

“I think one day Jordi will be a head coach in this league,” Malone said of Fernández following a loss to his former assistant on December 27th. “He’s been a head coach in the G League. He’s got great international experience. This team is on the right path with the right coaches, so I’m really happy for them.”

Expect Fernández’s name to be heavily mentioned in upcoming interviews this summer as teams around the league seek its head coaching replacements.

Sacramento Kings Offseason Schedule

• Thursday, June 22– 2023 NBA Draft
• Friday, June 30– Free Agent negotiating period begins
• Thursday, July 6– Free Agents can begin signing deals
• Friday, July 7–Monday, July 17– NBA Summer League in Las Vegas
• August TBD– 2023-24 NBA regular season schedule release
• September TBD– Sacramento Kings training camp begins

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