Former Sixers Coach Joins Jason Kidd’s Staff on Mavericks

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Ever since the Philadelphia 76ers moved on from Doc Rivers, the team has been making some changes around the coaching staff as Nick Nurse looks to form his own staff.
This week, another assistant from Rivers’ staff will part ways with the Sixers’ organization as he’s set to take on a new journey in the NBA. Eric Hughes, who spent the last four seasons in Philadelphia, will join the Dallas Mavericks, according to ESPN’s Tim McMahon.
For Hughes, his arrival in Dallas is a reunion with Jason Kidd, as the two worked together during Kidd’s stint as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks.
For the last couple of months, former Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse has added a few new names to the 76ers’ coaching staff, such as Bobby Jackson, Fabulous Flournoy, Doug West, and Rico Hines.
In addition to their new signees, the Sixers are also expected to elevate Coby Karl, who coached the team’s NBA G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, last season. With Karl seeing a promotion to the Sixers’ staff, he’ll be replaced by longtime assistant coach Mike Longabardi.
The Sixers also landed Bryan Gates, who was initially set to join Kidd and the Mavericks in Dallas. Although he agreed to coach with the Mavericks, he desired more of a prominent role in Philadelphia with Nurse. Once that was offered to him, the Mavs allowed him to part ways.
As for Hughes, the Mavericks have become his fifth destination since he landed a front-office gig with the Raptors back in 2007. A couple of years later, he was moved to the team’s bench in a coaching role. Since then, he’s assisted coaches in Brooklyn, Milwaukee, and Philly up until this upcoming season.
Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s Philadelphia 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia Threads: @JGrassoMedia
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