Phoenix Suns hiring Frank Vogel as new head coach

State of play: Vogel coached the Los Angeles Lakers to the NBA championship in 2020.

• The team fired him two years later after the Lakers ended the season with a 33-49 record.

Catch up quick: Vogel will replace Monty Williams, whom the Suns ousted last month.

• Williams was the NBA's coach of the year in 2022 after leading Phoenix to a franchise record 64 wins.
• But the team parted ways with him after an embarrassing home court blowout that ended the Suns' postseason in the Western Conference semifinals for the second consecutive year.

Why it matters: The Suns are looking for a coach who can help them deliver the championship that has long eluded them.

• Phoenix made it to the NBA Finals for the third time in franchise history in 2021, losing in six games to the Milwaukee Bucks.
• New owner Mat Ishbia pulled off a blockbuster trade for future hall-of-famer Kevin Durant in February, and the team is in "win now" mode as he and 38-year-old Chris Paul try to win a ring with star Devin Booker.

Zoom in: Vogel was one of five finalists for the Suns' head coaching position, along with former Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse, ex-Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers, Sacramento Kings assistant coach Jordi Fernandez and Phoenix assistance coach Kevin Young.

• Philadelphia hired Nurse as its new head coach.

Of note: Williams signed a six-year, $78.5 million contract with the Detroit Pistons earlier this week, the largest head coaching contract in NBA history.