Former Lakers Coach Joins Mavericks After LeBron James Report

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 4:19 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks have dominated NBA headlines since their blockbuster trade that swapped Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis. This buzz only grew when Dallas won the NBA Draft lottery, overcoming minuscule odds to have a chance at selecting Duke star Cooper Flagg No. 1 overall.

Flagg is now officially in Dallas, joining Davis and Kyrie Irving. Both players are former teammates of LeBron James, which helped fuel trade speculation when Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul released a statement to ESPN about the future of his most prominent client.

"LeBron wants to compete for a championship," Paul said. "He knows the Lakers are building for the future. ... We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career."

Not long after this statement, ESPN's Tim MacMahon said on an episode of The Hoop Collective podcast that Dallas had come up around the league as a potential trade destination for James. While this was mostly speculative, James' former teammate Patrick Beverley fueled the rumors on his Pat Bev Podcast for Barstool.

"I heard through a grapevine... that Bron was coming to Dallas," Beverley said. "That's what I heard. I told you that. I don't know if it's true or not. But LeBron to Dallas. I'm hearing a lot of rumbles."

Following these reports on the possibility of James joining the Mavericks, a former Lakers coach has agreed to join Jason Kidd's coaching staff in Dallas. Phil Handy, a former Lakers assistant, is heading to the Mavericks.

"UPDATE: Both Phil Handy and Popeye Jones have agreed to join Jason Kidd’s coaching staff in Dallas," NBA insider Marc Stein reported on X.

UPDATE: Both Phil Handy and Popeye Jones have agreed to join Jason Kidd’s coaching staff in Dallas, league sources tell @TheSteinLine and @DLLS_Sports.

Handy and Jones will join Jay Triano as newcomers … with Mavs coaching consultant Frank Vogel now Kidd’s associate head coach. https://t.co/CbIuc4Af8c
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 9, 2025

Handy was an assistant with the Lakers in 2020 when they won the NBA championship. He departed from the organization after the 2023-24 season, and now returns to an NBA bench alongside Kidd and his new-look coaching staff.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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