The Phoenix Suns will interview Monty Williams for a second time in the coming days.

Robert Sarver is expected to be included in the second interview Williams has conducted with the Suns.

Williams is also a candidate for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Suns fired Igor Kokoskov last week.

The New Orleans Pelicans will hire Aaron Nelson as their athletic trainer.

Nelson had been head athletic trainer of the Suns for 19 seasons. Nelson is often credited with prolonging the careers of Steve Nash and Grant Hill.

David Griffin previously worked with Nelson when he was a member of the Suns' front office.

The Pelicans' training staff has received criticism in the past.

The Phoenix Suns, lead by James Jones and Jeff Bower, met with Monty Williams for an "extended period" on Friday night in Toronto.

Williams still remains a candidate for the Lakers coaching position. 

Jones and Bower will meet with Blazers assistants Nate Tibbetts and David Vanterpool on Saturday.

The Cavs also plan to interview Tibbetts and Vanterpool for their opening.

The Phoenix Suns have identified Monty Williams as their top head coaching candidate.

The Suns will interview Williams in Toronto on Friday.

Williams also had a second interview with the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.

The Suns are on the verge of preempting an offer from the Lakers, which was part of the reason why they fired Igor Kokoskov when they did.

Williams is currently an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Phoenix Suns could have interest in trading up to No. 2 if a team ends up in that slot that already has a point guard.

The Suns, however, would draft Zion Williamson first overall if they were to win the lottery despite their need for a point guard.

The Suns have the best lottery odds along with the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Phoenix Suns will request permission to interview Monty Williams and David Vanterpool.

Williams is currently assistant coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. Williams is also a candidate for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Vanterpool is an assistant coach with the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Phoenix Suns have fired Igor Kokoskov less than a year after hiring him as coach.

The Suns are now targeting Monty Williams as Kokoskov's replacement. 

Williams is set to undergo a second round of interviews with the Lakers, leading to the timing of the Suns' decision to fire Kokoskov.

The Phoenix Suns may prefer to draft Ja Morant over Zion Williamson, according to sources around the NBA. 

James Jones is said to "be a fan" of the Murray State point guard, especially considering the Suns' need at that position, writes Sam Vecenie of The Athletic. Vecenie is, however, skeptical that the Suns would pass on Williamson over Morant.

The Suns have a 14 percent chance of landing the first pick in the draft.

The NBA Draft Lottery takes place on May 14th. 

Converse introduced a new basketball sneaker called the All-Star Pro BB, with Kelly Oubre Jr. as the face of the relaunched line.

"It's a different vibration when it comes to someone who is trying to reinvent themselves in something that they started. It's not necessarily someone trying to come in and disrupt the game, or someone trying to step onto the scene as newcomers again. We started this," said Oubre Jr. 

Nike acquired Converse in 2003 for $305 million, a purchase largely driven by the popularity of Chuck Taylor's. 270,000 pairs of Chuck Taylor's are sold everyday, totaling 100 million pairs per year. 

Converse used Nike's resources in imagining what an updated Chuck Taylor would look like in 2019.

"We built this shoe through the lens of where the game is evolving - that positionless aspect of basketball. This is geared for players that have a more fluid style of play, and Kelly really evokes that in how he shows up on the court," said Converse VP of footwear Brandis Russell.

The Phoenix Suns have named James Jones as general manager. The club has also added Jeff Bower as senior vice president of basketball operations and retained Trevor Bukstein as assistant general manager.

Jones will oversee all basketball operations for the team with Bower and Bukstein reporting to him.

“James has demonstrated a remarkable ability to manage the day-to-day efforts of our front office while developing strong relationships with our players, coaches and those across our organization and league,” said Suns managing partner Robert Sarver. “Furthermore, he is instilling the same championship culture and standard that he experienced on multiple occasions as a player. I have the utmost confidence in James as the leader of our basketball operations moving forward, and we are aligned in the ultimate goal of one day bringing an NBA championship to Phoenix.”

Jones has spent the last two seasons as the Suns’ vice president of basketball operations, sharing general manager duties with Bukstein this past season where the two collaborated on trades which brought Kelly Oubre Jr. and Tyler Johnson to Phoenix. Since joining the Suns, Jones has lead the evaluation and evolution of team operations, and helped to build a stronger connection between the front office, players and team personnel. Jones joined the Suns’ front office in 2017 following 14 seasons as a player.

A veteran executive with over 30 years of basketball experience at the NBA and collegiate levels, Bower was most recently general manager of the Detroit Pistons from 2014-2018. 

“I’m thrilled to add an individual with Jeff’s experience and basketball acumen to our front office,” said Jones. “Jeff brings a wealth of knowledge in every facet of basketball operations, is of high character and well respected in league circles, and has a proven track record of influencing organizational success. His expertise in creating and executing a plan will be invaluable as we build our team moving forward.”

“Under James’ leadership and with the addition of Jeff, our front office is diverse and complementary in their backgrounds and skillsets, yet entirely aligned in their selfless and hard-working approach,” added Sarver. “I am confident today’s announcement positions us strongly as we strive to shape the next great era of Phoenix Suns basketball.”

“I’m extremely appreciative of Robert and James for the opportunity to join the Suns organization,” said Bower. “We have a talented young team with great potential and a bright future ahead, so I’m anxious to get to work supporting James and the Phoenix Suns in every way I can.”

Bukstein will remain assistant general manager with the Suns, a position he has held since 2013. In his role, Bukstein combines his knowledge in the interpretation and application of the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, salary cap management, trade and contract negotiations and scouting with his proficiency as a talent evaluator.

Prior to becoming assistant general manager, Bukstein spent three seasons as the Suns’ director of basketball administration. He joined the Suns after six years as an athlete representation specialist at Williams and Connolly, LLP, where he assisted the sports law practice with its NBA, WNBA and MLB clients. Bukstein earned his law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center following his undergraduate work at the University of Michigan.