Warriors bring back Zaza Pachulia as consultant

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Former Golden State center Zaza Pachulia has re-joined the Warriors, no longer as a player but working as a consultant.

The team announced Pachulia’s hiring Thursday along with naming Steve Kerr’s entire coaching staff and the promotion of ex-forward Mike Dunleavy Jr. to assistant general manager.

Pachulia played for the back-to-back champion Warriors teams of 2017 and ’18 before spending the final season of his 16-year playing career with Detroit.

He is eager to be part of a new era beginning this season at San Francisco’s Chase Center, which the Warriors have been showing off this week as opening nears next month.

“I’m super excited and looking forward to it,” Pachulia said in a text message. “It’s going to be a fun process.”

While Pachulia only appeared in seven games during the 2018 run with no starts after starting 15 postseason games the previous year, his veteran presence and team-first mindset meant so much to Kerr and the Warriors. He will be used as a consultant on both the business and basketball side of team operations.

Welcome back, @zaza27!

Zaza Pachulia has rejoined the Warriors as a Consultant. pic.twitter.com/d9CqtmeBYN

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) August 29, 2019

Dunleavy came back to Golden State as a pro scout last season. He played for the Warriors from 2002 through part of ’07.

Aaron Miles, who spent the past two seasons coaching the G-League Warriors in Santa Cruz and guided Golden State’s summer league squad, earned himself a spot as a player development coach, and so did former Cal star Theo Robertson as he returns to the franchise and Luke Loucks and Seth Cooper, as well. Loucks had been the franchise’s two-way coach also working with Santa Cruz.

The remainder of the staff under Kerr remains intact with assistants Mike Brown, Jarron Collins, Bruce Fraser, Ron Adams and assistant coach and director of player development Chris DeMarco.

Owner Joe Lacob’s two sons also have new roles, executive vice president of basketball operations for Kirk Lacob after six years as an assistant GM, and Kent Lacob as director of team development.