The Phoenix Suns have added another Cleveland Cavaliers assistant to their bench ahead of next season with their new head coach, Jordan Ott.
According to HoopsHype insider Michael Scotto, the Suns have hired Cavaliers assistant and former 11-year NBA veteran, DeMarre Carroll, to their coaching staff.
Carroll had joined Kenny Atkinson’s coaching staff in Cleveland during the 2024 offseason to spend a year on the Cavaliers’ bench, being a part of their strong 60-plus win regular season campaign, but now finds a new opportunity just one year later.
It’s now the second coach the Suns have picked up from the Cavaliers’ bench throughout this offseason, with Phoenix’s addition of Ott being the franchise’s next head coach following their decision to part ways with Mike Budenholzer after one season. Cleveland also might not be done in losing assistants on their staff from last season, depending on how Johnnie Bryant’s coaching search ends up panning out with the New York Knicks.
Carroll has been in the assistant coaching ranks since 2022, beginning with the Milwaukee Bucks for one year before then finding a role on Darvin Ham’s staff with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023, then transitioning to his most recent gig in Cleveland.
During his 11 years in the league, Carroll was a part of eight NBA franchises through 578 games played after being a first-round pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, most of those reps coming with the Atlanta Hawks and the Brooklyn Nets. Throughout his career, he averaged 8.9 points and 5.4 rebounds a night.
Now, Carroll looks to make the next step in his coaching journey, and could even have an expanded opportunity on the Suns’ staff from his time in Cleveland as one of Ott’s first new additions into the fold.
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