Former Sparks coach Curt Miller named Wings’ general manager

Michael Voepel, ESPN Senior WriterNov 8, 2024, 11:06 AM ET

CloseMichael Voepel is a senior writer who covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball and other college sports. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.

Curt Miller was hired as the Dallas Wings’ new general manager and executive vice president of basketball operations Friday.

Miler spent the past two seasons as coach of the Los Angeles Sparks. He was both coach and GM of the Connecticut Sun for seven years before that, making two trips to the WNBA Finals with the Sun.

“Curt Miller is a proven winner with deep experience building and leading WNBA rosters and staffs,” Wings president & CEO Greg Bibb said in a statement. “I believe Curt’s ability to construct winning teams as well as his success in coaching in the WNBA and beyond will prove invaluable for our organization as we continue our pursuit of a WNBA championship.”

Miller is now out of the pool to fill one of the five open coaching positions in the league, including with the Wings. The others are with the Sparks, Sun, Washington Mystics and Atlanta Dream. The Toronto and Portland expansion franchises that begin play in 2026 also still need to hire coaches.

Sources told ESPN’s Alexa Philippou that numerous teams inquired about Miller for coaching positions. The hardest part of Miller’s decision to walk away from coaching was the impact it could have on his role with USA Basketball, where he would have been on a short list to be part of the coaching staff for the next four-year cycle.

Miller most recently served as a scout for the USA Basketball during the 2024 Paris Olympics as well as for the 2022 FIBA World Cup.

Miller was the 2017 WNBA Executive of the Year and won Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2021. He went 165-141 in nine seasons total as a coach between Connecticut and Los Angeles. He also coached at the collegiate level from 2001-2014.

“The potential of the Dallas Wings is immeasurable,” Miller said in a statement. “With a new arena and practice facility on the horizon, a talented roster which is impactful both on the court and in the community, exciting positioning in the upcoming draft, a passionate and loyal fanbase, a fully invested ownership group, and a dedicated front office staff, now is the time for the Wings.”

Dallas also promoted two staff members to assistant GM roles: Travis Charles and Jasmine Thomas, a longtime WNBA guard who played for Miller in Connecticut.

Miller now will focus on the hiring process for the Wings’ coach; Latricia Trammell was fired after two seasons. Also coming up is the WNBA draft lottery on Nov. 17, in which the Wings can get no lower than the No. 3 pick for 2025. And the Wings will decide which six players will be protected from the Golden State Valkyries’ expansion draft on Dec. 6.

As for free agency, the Wings have two key players who are unrestricted free agents in 2025: forwards Satou Sabally and Natasha Howard.