One other vacant function within the WNBA has been stuffed because the Dallas Wings named Curt Miller common supervisor and government vice chairman of basketball operations.
With 9 years of head-coaching expertise within the WNBA, Miller had been anticipated to be within the working for the 5 open teaching positions. As a substitute, Miller will give attention to the hiring course of for the Wings’ coach.
The teaching carousel — which at one level included seven open head-coaching positions — began 5 days after the WNBA common season ended, when the Los Angeles Sparks parted methods with Miller on Sept. 24. 5 extra coaches had been fired over the following 33 days, and the Connecticut Solar parted methods with Stephanie White. The Indiana Fever then employed White as their subsequent head coach.
When subsequent season begins, 58.3% of the groups within the league could have a special coach from the one they ended the 2024 season with. That’s the highest share of groups making offseason head-coaching adjustments in league historical past, in response to ESPN Analysis.
And that does not embrace the Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA’s first growth crew since 2008. On Oct. 10, the Valkyries named Natalie Nakase the crew’s first coach.
We’re monitoring all of the teaching and common supervisor adjustments this offseason.
Final up to date: Nov. 11, 2024
Bounce to:
Teaching adjustments | Normal supervisor adjustments
WNBA head-coaching adjustments
Former coach: Teresa Weatherspoon (fired Sept. 26)
New coach: Tyler Marsh (employed Nov. 2)
Marsh joined the Aces in March 2022 and was an assistant on Becky Hammon’s workers for Las Vegas’ back-to-back WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023. The Aces went 77-29 over his three seasons and had been 19-6 within the playoffs. Earlier than becoming a member of the Aces, he gained an NBA championship with the 2018-19 Toronto Raptors as assistant video coordinator and participant growth coach, and spent two seasons as a participant growth coach with the Indiana Pacers.
MORE: Are Marsh’s talent growth and the Sky’s potential an ideal match?
Weatherspoon was 13-27 in a single season with the Sky, who had been in playoff competition for a lot of the second half of the season regardless of dropping rookie Angel Reese to a wrist damage for the ultimate six video games of the common season.
MORE: What’s subsequent for Sky, Reese after Weatherspoon fired?
Former coach: Christie Sides (fired Oct. 27)
New coach: Stephanie White (employed Nov. 1)
4 days after she parted methods with the Solar, White returns to Indiana, the place she was head coach for 2 seasons in 2015 and 2016 and has a protracted tenure within the group: 4 years as a participant within the early 2000s and 4 extra as an assistant (together with the 2012 championship season) previous to her head-coaching stint.
MORE: Why White is an efficient match for Fever, Clark
Sides was 33-47 in two seasons with the Fever, together with a 20-20 report this season, when she led Indiana to its first playoff berth since 2016. The Fever had been swept 2-0 within the first spherical.
MORE: What are Fever on the lookout for in Sides’ successor?
Former coach: Stephanie White (parted methods Oct. 28)
White was 62-32 in two seasons with the Solar, together with a 7-7 postseason report. Connecticut reached the semifinals each seasons, together with in 2023 when she was WNBA Coach of the Yr.
Former coach: Eric Thibault (fired Oct. 23)
Thibault, who was let go together with his father, Mystics common supervisor Mike Thibault, was 33-47 in two seasons, together with a 14-26 mark this season, when Washington completed one sport behind the eighth and ultimate playoff crew within the standings.
MORE: What the Thibaults’ exit means for the Mystics, WNBA teaching vacancies
Former coach: Latricia Trammell (fired Oct. 18)
Trammell was 31-49 in two seasons with the Wings, who went 9-31 and missed the playoffs this season after going 22-18 and reaching the semifinals in 2023.
Former coach: Tanisha Wright (fired Oct. 2)
Wright was 48-68 in three seasons, main the Dream to the playoffs in 2023 and 2024. The Dream, whose final successful report got here in 2018, had been swept each instances.
MORE: What Wright’s firing means for Dream, WNBA teaching panorama
Former coach: Curt Miller (fired Sept. 24)
Miller was 25-55 in two seasons with the Sparks, who had been a league-worst 8-32 this summer time, enduring a collection of injures, together with to rookie Cameron Brink.
MORE: Why the Sparks, Miller parted methods, and what’s subsequent
WNBA common supervisor adjustments
Former GM: Clare Duwelius (Nov. 11)
Duwelius left the Lynx to change into GM and government vice chairman of Unequalled, the brand new 3×3 ladies’s professional league that can launch in January. The Lynx haven’t stated if they may rent one other GM. A spokeswoman instructed ESPN on Monday that the franchise was nonetheless determining its front-office particulars.
Might that imply that coach and crew president Cheryl Reeve resumes GM duties, a task she held within the 2018-2022 seasons? Reeve was named the WNBA’s government of the 12 months this season and in 2019. The award is voted on by the league’s different executives and was began in 2017. Reeve’s honor marked the primary time the chief of the 12 months did not have the GM function as a part of their title.
Minnesota additionally introduced Lynx assistant coach Katie Smith is shifting to her alma mater, Ohio State, to be an assistant coach. That takes her out of the pool to fill one of many WNBA head-coach openings. — Michael Voepel
Former GM: Greg Bibb (Oct. 18)
New GM: Curt Miller (Nov. 8)
Miller has been a coach for greater than 20 years. He was sought by different WNBA franchises after he was let go by the Sparks, sources instructed ESPN. His resolution to take the Dallas GM job wasn’t straightforward, sources additionally stated, contemplating the impression it may have on his continued function in teaching USA Basketball.
However in the end, Miller opted for one more problem and took the GM function. Close to the tip of his time as coach/GM with the Connecticut Solar, Miller instructed ESPN that he thought it was turning into much less possible for one individual to do this twin function. He thought the calls for and focus wanted for each positions had been greatest cut up between two folks, and that has change into the norm now within the WNBA.
Miller being out of the combination for the 5 open teaching positions (plus the 2 for the 2026 growth groups) signifies that pool bought weaker when it comes to high-quality candidates with plenty of WNBA expertise. He was on the prime of the listing there. Now, we wait to see if different not too long ago fired coaches resembling Latricia Trammell, Teresa Weatherspoon, Tanisha Wright, Christie Sides and Eric Thibault will transfer to different franchises. And we’re watching to see who emerges amongst candidates who have not been head coaches within the WNBA. — Voepel
Former GM: Natalie Williams (Oct. 26)
Williams’ contract wasn’t renewed as a part of a restructuring of the Aces’ entrance workplace (the crew’s announcement did not elaborate on what different adjustments that entails). Williams — who was employed in 2022 and performed for the franchise when it was the Utah Starzz — served as GM throughout Las Vegas’ back-to-back championship seasons. — Alexa Philippou
Former GM: Mike Thibault (Oct. 23)
The Mystics parted methods with Mike (common supervisor) and Eric Thibault (coach) on the identical day. Mike Thibault had been with the franchise for over a decade, assuming the head-coaching job in 2013 earlier than handing the torch to Eric and focusing solely on GM duties after the 2022 season. — Philippou
Former GM: Lin Dunn (Oct. 4)
New GM: Amber Cox (Oct. 4)
Cox involves the Indiana as its new chief working officer and GM after beforehand serving as COO of the Dallas Wings. Her different WNBA expertise consists of stints as an government with the Connecticut Solar and Phoenix Mercury. Dunn, the longtime Fever fixture, strikes on from GM to a senior advisor function. — Philippou
Golden State Valkyries
New GM: Ohemaa Nyanin (Could 6)
Nyanin, a former assistant common supervisor with the New York Liberty, was named the primary common supervisor of the growth Golden State Valkyries. Nyanin has in depth expertise with FIBA and USA Basketball. The crew additionally employed a vice chairman of basketball operations, Vanja Cernivec, who will report back to Nyanin. — Philippou