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Dusty May Completes His Staff With a Former Head Coach

Former Pelicans coach Willie Green joins Dusty May's staff as Dallas counts down to preseason.

Willie GreenStaff AdditionFormer Pelicans head coach
Oct. 9Preseason OpenerHome vs. Rockets, first of four
115.5D Rating19th of 30 teams last season
Oct. 1Injury TargetsIrving, Lively, Aldama each aiming
By the Mavericks Nightly Desk · Thursday, September 17

The Mavericks confirmed their full 2026-27 coaching staff Sept. 16, adding former Pelicans head coach Willie Green to Dusty May's bench. Preseason opens Oct. 9 against the Rockets, with three regulars still working back from injury.

Mavericks Nightly artwork
Illustration by Hoops Nightly.

A New Staff Takes Shape

Willie Green, formerly the Pelicans' head coach, is joining Dusty May's staff in Dallas, the team confirmed Sept. 16, a move Hoops Rumors also reported the same day. May himself is new to the job for 2026-27, so Green's hire fills out a staff built from scratch this offseason around a 19-year-old Flagg-led core.

Camp Countdown, By the Date

Preseason opens Oct. 9 at home against Houston, a rematch three days later in Houston, then home dates against New Orleans on Oct. 14 and Atlanta on Oct. 16. Kyrie Irving, Lively and Aldama are each aiming for Oct. 1, all three targeting a return before that opener.

The Defensive Bar Green Inherits

Last season's defense allowed 115.5 points per hundred possessions, 19th of 30 teams, while the offense finished 27th and the overall differential sat at -5.2. The one group that worked, Washington-Gafford-Williams-Christie-Flagg, outscored opponents by 2.2 points over 73 minutes across 14 games -- a small sample Green now inherits as a blueprint. Whether his arrival pushes that defensive number higher than 19th is the open question camp will start to answer this month.

Who is Willie Green and what's his role with the Mavericks?

Green is the former Pelicans head coach, now an assistant on Dusty May's staff in Dallas, per the team's Sept. 16 announcement.

When do the Mavericks play their first preseason game?

Oct. 9 at home against the Rockets, the first of four preseason games before the Oct. 21 regular-season opener, also at Houston.

By the Mavericks Nightly Desk, written from the club's data and the reports on file, with every name and number checked against them. How the desks work.

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