Dallas Mavericks players and coaches stand shoulder to shoulder as “The Star-Spangled Banner” plays moments before a preseason game at American Airlines Center.
Jason Kidd stares at the American flag in the distance, covering his heart with his right hand, the same one the fifth-year Mavericks’ coach used to sign a multi-year contract extension this week.
It’s a new era in Kidd’s tenure as head coach in the city where he won an NBA championship, and where three new lead assistants stand by his side as the anthem blares through the arena.
Frank Vogel, Jay Triano and Popeye Jones joined the Mavericks during the offseason, an unusual overhaul for the front of a team’s bench. The transition gives Kidd two former NBA head coaches — defensive mastermind Vogel and offensive savant Triano — as well as a highly respected longtime assistant in Jones, a former teammate of Kidd’s in Dallas. The hires align with the franchise’s change in direction and new defensive philosophy under general manager Nico Harrison.
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With 62 combined years of NBA coaching experience, the trio is expected to develop a new identity on both ends of the court that unlocks younger players’ potential while leaning on the veterans’ leadership to help the team contend for the playoffs after failing to make the cut last season.
The veteran group of assistants also includes new player development coaches Phil Handy, Mike Penberthy and Dru Anthrop, as well as returning staff members Eric Hughes, Josh Broghamer, Keith Veney and Jordan Sears.
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“We feel that we have a championship staff that can compete at a high level to help our younger players become the stars that we all think they can become,” Kidd said.
Kidd attributes the turnover to the success the Mavericks have achieved since he was hired in 2021, including a 2024 NBA Finals appearance. Sean Sweeney became the associate head coach in San Antonio, Jared Dudley the lead assistant for the Denver Nuggets, and Alex Jensen the new men’s basketball coach at Utah, his alma mater.
“When you look at putting the staff together, it wasn’t jump ship,” Kidd said during media day. “This was an opportunity for guys to climb the ladder. The guys that left will be missed. Sweeney, Duds and Alex. … It’s a compliment that we must be doing something right. Not wrong.”
Role reversal for Kidd, Vogel
This season is a role reversal from 2019-21, when Kidd was an assistant on the Los Angeles Lakers team Vogel led to an NBA title in 2020.
Vogel, who coached the Phoenix Suns in 2023-24, watched Kidd from the shadows last season in a consulting role with the Mavericks. He says he admired how Kidd managed his lineup through one injury after another and navigated the most stunning trade in NBA history, keeping his players engaged and competitive through the most demoralizing of nights.
Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Frank Vogel poses for a portrait during the Dallas Mavericks media day at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
As associate head coach this season, Vogel has more of a vocal presence, including directing drills, game planning, creating defensive schemes and coaching whatever facet of the game Kidd requires.
“Any chance I would have to work with J-Kidd, I would jump at that chance if it fit my timeline and what I was doing,” Vogel told The Dallas Morning News. “We established a great rapport together. I have great respect for him as a head coach and a basketball savant.”
Though the roles are reversed, the dynamic hasn’t changed, Kidd said. But he’s expecting Vogel to return the favor in bringing the Larry O’Brien trophy back to Dallas.
“He owes me a championship,” Kidd joked. “It’s not weird. We’re actually really good friends. I don’t look at him like an assistant coach, and I hope he doesn’t look at me like a head coach, but two best of friends trying to find a way to win another championship.”
Vogel chuckled when told of Kidd’s comments.
“I’d love that because I want to get another one with him,” he said. “I think it would be one of the more unique things in NBA history, for two coaches to win separate championships with the roles reversed. That’s something that’s very compelling to me.”
An NBA title would also be the coaches’ second with Handy, Penberthy and Anthrop, who were part of Vogel’s staff from the Lakers’ 2020 championship season. Handy has close relationships with Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, while Penberthy has been helping Cooper Flagg further develop his perimeter shooting.
Vogel built a reputation throughout the league for being a defensive-minded coach. His Lakers finished with the No. 1 defense in the NBA in 2020-21. He also served as the head coach for the Orlando Magic (2016-18) and Indiana Pacers (2011 to 2016), who had the top defense in 2013 and 2014.
His most recent head coaching job in Phoenix was short-lived after the Minnesota Timberwolves swept the Suns in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs. Vogel didn’t want the dismissal to deter him from being around the NBA, he said, and ahead of last season, Kidd asked him to join the Mavericks in their quest to return to the NBA Finals.
“Whether it’s coming back as a head coach or being able to come back as an assistant, with a team that I think can be special and a coach I know is special, it made a lot of sense for me,” Vogel told The News. “[Kidd] is the head coach and I am his assistant. I’m here to fill out the role in any way that I can, but there is a partnership between he and I – which is what I really value.”
Triano, the offensive guru
Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Jay Triano walks off the court at NBA basketball training camp at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025.
ETHAN CAIRNS / AP
Kidd led training camp last month at Simon Fraser University, about 30 minutes east of Vancouver, British Columbia.
On a bright maroon wall outside of West Gym, deep inside the campus, Triano’s name is on a plaque identifying him as a member of the school’s athletic Hall of Fame. He finished his college career with 11 school records and returned as head coach in 1988.
Kidd and Triano met in 2008, when he was named an assistant coach for the Beijing Olympics and Kidd was the captain for the U.S. men’s team, also known as the “Redeem Team,” which was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame over the summer.
“I’ve seen him as a player and as a coach, in all the aspects,” Triano told The News. “I’m excited because I know how good a player he was and how hard he played the game.”
Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Jay Triano poses for a portrait during the Dallas Mavericks media day at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
Holding training camp at Triano’s alma mater was a coincidence, a moment of serendipity for the longtime coach, who boasts 23 years of NBA coaching experience, including 308 combined games at the helm of the Toronto Raptors and Suns. Most recently, Triano served as an associate head coach of the Sacramento Kings under coach Mike Brown, who was fired before the end of last season.
Triano received offers from other NBA teams but chose Dallas, he told The News, to be part of an organization equipped with the right pieces to compete for a championship.
“When you get fired sometimes, it’s because you’re in a bad situation and then you go to a different team that’s rebuilding. This team is ready,” Triano said. “I’m excited for it because at this stage of my career, this is really cool. Kyrie, AD, getting the No. 1 pick, Klay [Thompson].
“I know they weren’t as good offensively as they wanted to be [last season], and that’s what I do. I’m excited to hopefully help in that department.”
His imprint on the Kings was apparent from the moment he was hired in 2022. Sacramento led the NBA in points (120.7) and offensive rating (119.4) during his first season after finishing 16th and 25th, respectively, in 2021-22. The Kings ranked ninth in points (116.6) in 2023-24 and finished seventh in offensive rating (116.7) and 10th in points (115.7) last season.
“He’s a brilliant mind,” Kidd said.
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Triano is the architect of the Mavericks’ new offensive schemes, which are rooted in playing as fast as possible. Kidd has said the goal is to score within the first six seconds of the 24-second shot clock. They also want to make multiple passes to find the most efficient shot.
“That’s the big thing,” Triano told The News. “I think because of the personnel here in the last couple years, the ball didn’t really move. I think the more guys touch the ball, it’s got logic in it. It just gets you motivated to play on both ends of the floor. The sharing becomes contagious. Ball movement, player movement. We’re going to have to be in elite shape to play the way that I want to play.”
Reunion for Jones
Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Popeye Jones poses for a portrait during the Dallas Mavericks media day at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
With Vogel’s defensive expertise and Triano’s offensive principles in place, the Mavericks needed one more reputable assistant to fill the void left by Dudley.
It doesn’t hurt that the one they chose is the guy chuckling with Kidd on the sideline ahead of a preseason win over the Utah Jazz.
The bond between the Mavericks head coach and Jones runs deeper than friendly banter. The duo has reunited in the NBA for the first time since they were Mavericks teammates during the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons.
“When Jason called me and the opportunity presented itself to come back, it was like a no-brainer to load up the car from Denver,” Jones told The News.
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After finishing his college career at Murray State as the program’s all-time leading rebounder, Jones was selected by the Houston Rockets in the second round of the 1992 NBA draft, but his rights were traded to the Mavericks. He spent a year playing professional basketball for Aresium Milano in Europe and joined the Mavericks in 1993 ahead of Kidd’s rookie year.
“I got to play with pretty much one of the bright, upcoming, best point guards that was coming up in the league,” Jones told The News. “I was able to get my career established with him because of the way he passed the ball.”
Over 11 NBA seasons, including four with Dallas (1994-96 and 2003), Jones etched his name into the franchise’s history books with the record for the most rebounds in a single game (28 vs. Indiana on Jan. 9, 1996). He also began his coaching career with the Mavericks, serving as a player development coach from 2007 to 2010.
Dallas Mavericks forward Popeye Jones (54) looks to pass past Indiana Pacers’ Antonio Davis during the second quarter of a game in Dallas on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 1996. Jones finished the game with 28 rebounds, but Indiana won 91-84.
ERIC GAY / AP
Jones spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach with the Nuggets, who won a championship with him on staff in 2023. He told The News his decision to re-join the Mavericks was rooted in familiarity with Dallas-Fort Worth, where his three sons were born and where he has longstanding relationships with the team’s coaching staff and front office.
“It’s just full circle. I love the city. I have a lot of relationships here other than Jason,” said Jones, listing his time on the Pacers’ staff under Vogel and his familiarity with the front office. He played with assistant general manager Michael Finley, knew Harrison when the general manager worked for Nike and was on the New Jersey/Brooklyn Nets staff with assistant general manager Matt Riccardi.
Jones’ expertise lies in the development of big men, naturally, since the former Mavericks big man dominated the boards during his heyday. He’ll primarily assist Vogel in his day-to-day duties, but he’s responsible for maximizing the performance of centers Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford.
Jones’ experience can only help Dallas’ plethora of bigs, especially after spending the last four seasons around three-time MVP Nikola Jokic.
“To be able to get Popeye, someone that when I was a rookie I got to play with,” Kidd said, “and then his coaching career, he has won a championship.”
On this staff, who hasn’t? Kidd, Vogel and Jones each own a championship ring as coaches. Handy has three from Cleveland (2016), Toronto (2019) and Los Angeles (2020).
The collective of coaches who’ve witnessed what it takes to win the ultimate prize could bode well for a Mavericks team vying for a championship in the short term while building a core around the 18-year-old Flagg that could contend for years to come.
If this season goes as Kidd and his revamped coaching staff hope, they’ll be standing side-by-side again during the national anthem at next October’s home opener, their eyes on the American flag and a 2025-26 championship banner.
Mavericks coaches with NBA championships
Jason Kidd: 2, as Dallas Mavericks player (2011) and a Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach (2020)
Frank Vogel: 1, as Lakers head coach (2020)
Popeye Jones: 1, as a Denver Nuggets assistant coach (2023)
Phil Handy: 3, as an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers (2016), the Toronto Raptors (2019) and the Lakers (2020)
Mike Penberthy: 2, as an assistant coach with the Lakers (2020) and the Nuggets (2023)
Jordan Sears: 1, as an assistant video coordinator with the Milwaukee Bucks (2021)
Dru Anthrop: 1, as a video coordinator and player development coach with the Lakers (2020)
Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.