Nets assistant coach candidate Phil Handy addresses his future

Phil Handy won a ring with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. Could he get one with the Brooklyn Nets next season?

Phil Handy’s name has popped up more than any in the Brooklyn Nets’ search to fill out Steve Nash’s coaching staff. A member of Ty Lue’s staff in Cleveland when the Cavaliers won with Kyrie Irving and LeBron James in 2016, Handy earned his third NBA title in 2020 as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers’ staff after having won a ring as an assistant coach to Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse in 2019.

Handy could easily find himself in contention for his third ring in as many seasons with as many franchises if he joins the Nets this offseason.

But, based on what he had to say to Jason Dumas of KRON 4 News in California, it sounds like Handy is more interested in attempting a repeat with the Lakers:

“I am a Los Angeles Laker. What’s next for me is to wait for Frank Vogel to pick up the phone and text me and call me and give me what my next directives are. I’m gonna sit back and try to enjoy this championship that we earned and decompress a little bit. I think we work so hard that people think that we never take time off. I myself have had to learn how to decompress and step away from the game to where I can stay mentally and physically sharp. So, I’m going to enjoy this time with my friends and my family, and then I’ll be ready for whatever directives coach Vogel has for me next as we prepared for this next upcoming season.”