The Phoenix Suns have reportedly reached out to former NBA bench bosses Jason Kidd and Vinny Del Negro regarding their vacant head coaching position, according to the Arizona Republic's Scott Bordow.
In one season with the Brooklyn Nets and parts of four seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, Kidd amassed a professional coaching record of 183-190 in the regular season, with his teams missing the playoffs just once. He was fired earlier this year on Jan. 22 with his Bucks boasting a 23-22 record at the time.
Notably, Kidd played for the Suns for a significant portion of his Hall of Fame career. He averaged 14.4 points, 9.7 assists, and 6.5 rebounds per game from 1996-2001, earning his first three of five assist titles and starring for a backcourt that, at times, featured Steve Nash, Kevin Johnson, Penny Hardaway, and coincidentally, a 34-year-old Del Negro, who was playing out the final games of his own career with the Suns from 2000-02.
After retiring as a player, Del Negro returned to work with the Suns in various capacities, including radio commentator, director of player personnel, and assistant general manager. Del Negro left Phoenix to coach the Chicago Bulls from 2008-10, then the Los Angeles Clippers from 2010-13, posting an overall regular-season record of 210-184 and coaching then-rookies Derrick Rose and Blake Griffin. He was not retained after the 2012-13 season despite posting a 56-26 record.
