National Champion Dusty May Linked to Mavericks Opening After Jason Kidd Firing
The Dallas Mavericks‘ decision to move on from Jason Kidd sent shockwaves through the basketball world. Kidd had helped guide Dallas to an NBA Finals appearance just two seasons ago and was widely viewed as a strong developmental coach for young superstar Cooper Flagg.
Even after a disappointing 2025-26 season, many around the league expected Kidd to remain part of the franchise’s long-term future. Instead, new Mavericks president Masai Ujiri made one of the boldest moves of the NBA offseason, opening a vacancy that immediately became one of the most attractive jobs in basketball.
Now, a surprising new name has emerged in Dallas’ search.
According to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, the Mavericks have held exploratory conversations regarding Michigan head coach Dusty May, fresh off leading the Wolverines to the 2026 NCAA national championship, along with Duke head coach Jon Scheyer.
"It remains to be seen whether Duke’s Jon Scheyer or Michigan’s Dusty May reach full-fledged candidate status with Dallas since both are so entrenched with their universities, but league sources tell The Stein Line that there has been exploratory conversation with both college titans to try to determine if there is any interest."
While league sources indicate May remains deeply committed to Michigan, the mere fact Dallas has reached out changes the conversation surrounding both the Mavericks’ search and May’s future.
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After turning Florida Atlantic into a national story with the program’s first-ever Final Four appearance in 2023, May arrived at Michigan in 2024 and immediately revitalized one of college basketball‘s premier programs.
In just his second season, he guided the Wolverines to a 37-3 record, a Big Ten championship, and the program’s first national title since 1989, successfully orchestrating one of the fastest turnarounds in college basketball history.
The Wolverines’ national title team was assembled primarily through the transfer portal rather than traditional recruiting, underscoring May’s reputation for evaluating talent and fitting players together quickly.
Michigan will likely do everything possible to secure his long-term future after a championship season. Yet this is now the second time in recent weeks that NBA jobs have surfaced around his name, with previous reports linking him to the Orlando Magic position, suggesting league executives increasingly view him as a legitimate professional coaching candidate.
Whether or not Dallas ultimately lands him, the interest itself is significant. A year ago, Dusty May was one of college basketball’s rising stars. Today, he’s being discussed for one of the NBA’s most coveted jobs.
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This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 10:31 AM.