The Phoenix Mercury are hiring former Golden State Warriors executive Nick U’Ren as their next general manager, the team announced Monday.
U’Ren, who is the executive director of basketball operations for the Warriors, will take over in Phoenix at the end of the season. The Mercury also announced Monday that current general manager Jim Pitman will retire at the end of the season after his decade-long stint with the franchise.
“I want to thank Jim for his many contributions to the organization. From our first meeting, Jim was transparent about his likely plans to retire as general manager at the end of this season, which gave us the time we needed to find the right replacement to move the Mercury forward.” Mercury owner Matt Ishbia said in a statement. statement. “We are thrilled to have Nick, a veteran basketball executive with four NBA titles under his belt, as the new general manager of the Mercury. We are committed to winning on and off the pitch, and I am confident that Nick will serve our fans, our community and our organization with passion, dedication and a commitment to excellence, much the same as Jim.
U’Ren worked in the Warriors organization for nine seasons under longtime general manager Bob Myers and helped the franchise win four NBA titles. U’Ren is from Phoenix and previously worked for the Suns as a video coordinator before moving to Golden State.
U’Ren will report to Suns CEO Josh Bartelstein. Pitman will remain with the Suns and Mercury as chief financial officer.
The Mercurys are 4-14 so far this season, which is tied with the Seattle Storm for the league’s worst record. Phoenix also fired coach Vanessa Nygaard last month and promoted assistant Vikki Blue to replace her on an interim basis.
“I want to thank Mat Ishbia, Josh Bartelstein and Jim Pitman for entrusting me with one of the WNBA’s most legendary franchises,” U’Ren said in a statement. “There is a clear desire to invest the resources necessary to build a winning team and culture in Phoenix. That, combined with the great people on and off the pitch, made this the right opportunity at the right time for my family and me. I also want to thank the Golden State Warriors for the knowledge, experiences and friendships I gained during my time there.