After working on the Suns’ staff under Monty Williams for the past two seasons, veteran assistant coach Bryan Gates appeared poised to leave Phoenix for a job in Dallas this offseason. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported early in July that Gates had agreed to join Jason Kidd‘s staff.
However, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), Gates won’t be a part of the Mavericks‘ coaching staff after all. Instead, he’ll be hired by the Sixers as an assistant under new head coach Nick Nurse.
The Mavericks have yet to officially announce their coaching staff changes for the 2023-24 season, so it’s unclear whether Gates actually completed any formal paperwork or just had a verbal agreement with the club. Either way, the Mavs agreed to free up Gates for a new opportunity in Philadelphia, according to Wojnarowski, who says Gates will have a “significant step up” in his role with the Sixers.
Gates began his coaching career way back in 1997 with the Idaho Stampede, a then-D League team. He bounced around a few more non-NBA leagues and earned D League Coach of the Year honors in 2007 and 2008 before catching on with the Kings as an assistant in 2009. He has since held similar roles in New Orleans, Minnesota (twice), Sacramento (again), and Phoenix.
It’s unclear if the Mavericks will head back to the coaching market in search of another assistant who could fill the role they envisioned for Gates, or if they’ll be satisfied to stick with their current group.
As for the Sixers, they’re still filling out their new-look staff under Nurse. Bobby Jackson, Rico Hines and Doug West are among the other assistants reported to be joining the team.
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