Report: Suns to hire assistant Bryan Gates as Willie Green’s replacement

The Suns will reportedly hire assistant coach Bryan Gates to reunite him with Monty Williams after being an assistant to Phoenix’s head coach in New Orleans from 2010-15.

The move was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The hire of Gates comes after assistant Willie Green agreed to become the head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans last week.

Gates was most recently an assistant with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the last two years under Ryan Saunders and Chris Finch.

He was also named the NBA G League Coach of the Year in 2007 and 2008 with the Idaho Stampede.

While Gates was an assistant under Williams in 2010, they both coached Green and current Suns point guard Chris Paul while they played for the then-New Orleans Hornets.

Gates became available for hire after Saunders was fired midseason by the Timberwolves in 2020-21 and will be a familiar face to Williams and his staff.

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