Spare a thought for former Phoenix Suns' coach Willie Green. The 44-year-old was once a highly thought of assistant in The Valley, and was on their staff as the franchise ascended culminating in their appearance in the 2021 NBA Finals. Green was given the New Orleans Pelicans' top job off the back of being a part of that, but he was recently relieved of his duties.
A 2-10 start in New Orleans enough for the organization to decide enough was enough, and the whole experience has been nothing short of a disaster for Green. They fell well short of expectations, although his tenure there may be defined by something he had no part in. The head-scratching draft night trade for Derik Queen one that will likely go down as one of the worst in league history.
Green won't be seen in the NBA for a long time after firing.
Unfortunately for highly thought of assistants, they typically get one job to prove they have what it takes for a lead role. Jamahl Mosley is one such example, and even if he and the Orlando Magic don't work out, he has laid the foundation and improved young stars to the point that he will get another chance somewhere else.
Joe Mazzulla on Willie Green getting fired and why a coach getting fired is more situational than anything:
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) November 15, 2025
“You’ll know if you’re a good coach 10, 15, 20 years from now based on the relationships you build.”
“Better coaches than me have gotten fired.” pic.twitter.com/IVReSXf8UM
Green won't get those same opportunities, although a combination of the failure of Zion Williamson to improve (or be consistently available) and some puzzling front office moves made his job even harder. It is almost ironic then that the best course of action for him could have been sticking with the Suns, even if that too would have ended before now.
We know with the benefit of hindsight that owner Mat Ishbia was always going to trade for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, and so go after veteran coaches to try and win a championship. There's no chance both Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer would have kept him on, while there is only a small chance Monty Williams would have brought him to the Detroit Pistons for the minute he was there.
The Pistons and Suns are being linked more and more these days, but a trade involving Devin Booker is a long way from even being talked about seriously. Then there is current head coach Jordan Ott, who himself was a top assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has been one of the best acquisitions by the franchise since they decided to rebuild, and he will be around long-term.
There is a world in which Green could have been the young assistant who got his break with this version of the Suns, but the timeline was never going to work. Even worse from his perspective, there's reason to believe he could have been a success with this version of the roster as well. We'll never know, Ott is thriving and Green will be out of the league for a long time to come.