Willie Green is officially headed to Dallas.
The Mavericks announced in a press release that Green, Garrett Temple, Joe Boylan, Drew Williamson, Mody Maor, Rob Fodor and Sam Hershberger will serve as assistant coaches under first-year head coach Dusty May this season. Nate Mitchell is also joining the organization in a dual role, working as both an assistant coach and the head coach of the Texas Legends, Dallas’ NBA G League team. Tyson Chandler and Quincy Acy are back as well, this time in player development roles.
Green’s move had been floating around for a while. Reports earlier this summer said the former Pelicans coach had already agreed to become May’s top assistant, and now the Mavericks have made it official. He also drew interest from the Warriors for a spot on their staff.
Green’s run in New Orleans ended quickly last season. He was let go after just 12 games, following a 2-10 start. Before that, he spent four full seasons as the Pelicans’ head coach and reached the playoffs twice.
Temple is making a transition of his own. He wrapped up his playing career after last season to join May’s staff, and he comes over after spending the last three seasons with Toronto. That also reunites him with former Raptors president Masai Ujiri, who now runs basketball operations in Dallas.
Boylan brings a long résumé of NBA assistant work and was most recently with Memphis in 2024/25. Williamson previously worked on May’s staff at Michigan, while Maor spent the last two seasons as a head coach in Japan. The Mavericks also added Fodor as an assistant coach and shooting coach after he spent the last 20 years with the Heat.
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For New Orleans, his presence is less about whether he can suddenly erase the concerns tied to his size and shooting than about the standard he helps establish every day in camp. Long shots can still matter, especially when a staff wants bodies who compete, defend and force everyone else to stay sharp, and Shumate looks like the sort of invitee who can help define that edge even if the final roster door remains difficult to open. [Read more 🡒]