Dusty May Leaving Michigan to Become Mavericks Head Coach: Report
The Dallas Mavericks will reportedly announce they’ve hired Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May as their new coach on Monday, ending their search for a new leader after the firing of Jason Kidd.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, May, who coached the Wolverines to the championship this past year, was one of the top choices for the job, along with Duke’s Jon Scheyer.
May began coaching Michigan in 2024, after seven years of coaching Florida Atlantic and multiple assistant coaching jobs in college basketball.
However, his ability to guide a strong and talented Michigan squad to its second championship, and first in 37 years, certainly raised his profile.
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In addition, Stein indicated that the coaching search included several NBA assistant coaches, who Stein didn’t name, and former three-time NBA coach Terry Stotts.
Stotts coached the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks for several seasons. He was head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers from 2012 to 2021, and an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors through this past season.
While his abrupt departure after one Michigan championship might be surprising, May’s hire is certainly not unprecedented. After UConn’s Dan Hurley won back-to-back championships at UConn, his name immediately became part of headlines for the Los Angeles Lakers job, which ultimately went to JJ Redick, who is currently the team’s coach.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks (26-56) are looking towards their future, which undoubtedly rests on the shoulders of last year’s No. 1 pick and NBA Rookie of the Year, Cooper Flagg. Obviously, having Scheyer as the team’s coach would’ve been huge, since he coached Flagg at Duke.
Still, Dallas appears to be banking on a championship-winning college coach bringing them success in the professional league. There are varying results when it comes to college coaches taking on the very different coaching job in the NBA.
Notable former college coaches who guided NBA teams to championships include Larry Brown and Paul Westhead. However, there are several examples of coaches who left college and couldn’t really succeed with pro teams, including John Calipari and Billy Donovan.
Calipari and Donovan have since ditched the NBA and returned to coach what is likely a much better situation for them with college basketball.
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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 9:05 AM.