There is rarely as much turnover in NBA front offices as there is on the bench, but the Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns have fired David Kahn and Lance Blanks respectively.

Flip Saunders was immediately hired to replace Kahn with the Wolves, but the Suns have engaged in a search that has helped set the market for front office candidates this summer. There are bound to be other openings as the offseason progresses, including possible movement involving the Sacramento Kings.

The Suns have either met with, or plan to meet with, Boston Celtics assistant GM Ryan McDonough, Milwaukee Bucks assistant Jeff Weltman and San Antonio Spurs assistant Scott Layden, according to multiple reports.

Suns president Lon Babby is overseeing the search. Babby's background as a longtime player agent is much different than most top executives. It is also important to consider the varying front office structures across the league. The balance of power and responsibility is different on a case-by-case basis. 

Including McDonough, Weltman and Layden, there will be many names mentioned as general manager candidates in the coming weeks. 

Last offseason, Jeff Bower (formerly of the New Orleans Hornets) and David Morway (Indiana Pacers) were finalists for the Portland Trail Blazers' vacancy that eventually went to Neil Oshley. There is also Otis Smith who was general manager of the Orlando Magic throughout most of Dwight Howard's tenure.

Seven teams named new GMs after the 2011-12 and candidates seem to fall into two different categories these days: the young savant and the seasoned veteran.

Teams are giving young, relatively inexperienced, executives their top job now more than ever due to the success of Daryl Morey with the Houston Rockets and Sam Presti with the Oklahoma City Thunder. This year’s crop of candidates includes McDonough, Weltman and Thunder assistant GM Troy Weaver.

Those with experience as a GM or lead decision-maker are Layden, Morway and Smith. Bower recently agreed to become the head coach at Marist, removing him from the pool of candidates a year after he competed for the Blazers' job.

Smith has been out of the game since his dismissal last offseason. Smith an extended run of success with the Magic, but is most often remembered for his re-acquisition of Hedo Turkoglu and dealing Rashard Lewis for Gilbert Arenas. Smith is the type of candidate that would seem to be looking for the right situation, making him more likely for a team like the Kings than the Suns.

Morway spent three years as GM of the Pacers after rising through the ranks. He was originally hired by the franchise as vice president of basketball administration in early 1999. He worked under Larry Bird as the duo rebuilt the Pacers from a tough situation post-brawl to a near upset of the eventual champion Miami Heat last May. Morway certainly deserves a chance to run a franchise as the lead decision-maker given his familiarity and success with the process.

Layden should be the frontrunner for the Phoenix job given his edge in experience over the other candidates. He helped oversee the drafting of John Stockton and Karl Malone (joining the Utah Jazz as the young 23-year-old son of Frank Layden) very early in his career. He didn’t see much success as the GM of the New York Knicks from 1999 to 2003, but has spent a season under R.C. Buford with the San Antonio Spurs, which bolsters his candidacy by osmosis.