Phil Handy, the last assistant remaining from Jason Kidd's Dallas Mavericks staff, is finalizing a deal to join the Philadelphia 76ers, the Dallas Morning News reported Friday, citing ESPN's Marc J. Spears.
The move would leave new head coach Dusty May with a fully remade bench as training camp approaches next month, the Morning News noted.
End of the Kidd holdover line
Handy spent one season in Dallas as a player-development coach with existing ties to Kyrie Irving and Max Christie and a central role in ball-handling and shooting drills, according to the Dallas Morning News.
His exit follows the earlier departures of Frank Vogel, Jay Triano, Popeye Jones, Josh Broghamer, Keith Veney, Eric Hughes and Jordan Sears - a roster of assistants that emptied out as the franchise shifted from Kidd to May.
Sports Illustrated similarly described Handy as the final holdover from Kidd's staff and framed the departure as a major continuity loss during the coaching transition. Handy's reputation league-wide has long centered on player development rather than sideline play-calling, which helps explain why both the Morning News and SI treated the report as more than routine staff churn.
May's staff takes shape
May's reported coaching group includes Willie Green, Joe Boylan, Garrett Temple, Drew Williamson and Mody Maor, the Dallas Morning News reported. With Handy headed to Philadelphia to work under Nick Nurse, per Spears' report as relayed by the Morning News, Dallas's assistant ranks no longer overlap with the prior regime.
