‘A Big Gift For Us’: Dusty May Explains Why He Hired Garrett Temple For Dallas Mavericks’ Bench
DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks coach Dusty May said before Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings that Garrett Temple fit the profile he wanted for a front-of-the-bench seat on his staff, and that several organizations had tried to hire Temple for coaching staffs and front offices in recent years.
Temple joined May’s first Dallas staff after a 16-year playing career. Before the season, the Mavericks announced their full staff in September with Temple and former New Orleans Pelicans coach Willie Green among the assistants.
Temple and May are connected through Alijah Martin, who played for May at Florida Atlantic and spent last season as Temple’s teammate in Toronto. The two also share a mentor.
“He’s been a quasi-coach for a few years. And one of our former players at FAU, Alijah Martin, played with him in Toronto. He and I have one of the same mentors,” May said. “And so, he fit the profile that we were looking for in a front-of-the-bench spot. And I’ve always erred on going with a little bit of youth versus experience because of the hunger, the desire to improve, the relatability, things like that.”
“And so, Garrett’s lack of coaching didn’t bother me because of the coaches he had played for and the situations he had been in. And more than anything else, just who he is as a person,” May continued. “His emotional intelligence, his ability to relate to the players, to the staff, to everyone in the organization, he’s just, he’s very well-rounded.”
“And he came very recommended. I know several organizations that tried to hire him the last several years on coaching staffs but also in front offices,” May added. “So, it was a big gift for us to snag him.”
Garrett Temple’s 16 NBA Seasons
Temple went undrafted out of LSU in 2009 and played 793 regular-season games for 12 NBA franchises, averaging 5.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. He spent his final three seasons with the Toronto Raptors and appeared in 22 games in 2025-26.
He had two stints with Sacramento, Monday’s opponent. Temple signed a 10-day contract with the Kings in March 2010, then returned on a three-year, $24 million deal in July 2016. On Jan. 23, 2018, he scored a career-high 34 points for Sacramento in a 105-99 win over the Orlando Magic, 19 of them in the fourth quarter.
Temple and Kings guard Zach LaVine were teammates in Chicago in 2020-21.
His longest stop came in Washington, where he played parts of four seasons from 2012 to 2016. Temple also played for Houston, San Antonio, Milwaukee, Charlotte, Memphis, the Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn, Chicago, and New Orleans.
Alijah Martin Links Temple And Dusty May
Martin played four seasons at Florida Atlantic under May and helped the Owls reach the 2023 Final Four. He transferred to Florida after May left for Michigan, won the 2025 national championship with the Gators, and went to Toronto with the 39th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
As a rookie on a two-way contract, Martin appeared in 23 games for the Raptors, the same season Temple played his last 22. Martin re-signed with Toronto on a two-year contract in July.
Temple is one of seven assistants on May’s staff, along with Green, Joe Boylan, Drew Williamson, Mody Maor, Rob Fodor, and Sam Hershberger. The Mavericks host Sacramento at 7 p.m. CT on Monday at American Airlines Center, then play at the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.
