The Dallas Mavericks ultimately landed Dusty May as their next head coach on Monday. However, the franchise reportedly explored another high-profile college option first.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Dallas made multiple attempts to lure Duke coach Jon Scheyer to the NBA before eventually turning its attention to May. Speaking on First Take on Monday, Windhorst revealed just how aggressive the Mavericks were in pursuing the Blue Devils’ leader.
$19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage
“Dusty May has been high on NBA teams lists as a guy they could get for a year or so now, even before he was a national champion coach,” Windhorst said. “The Orlando Magic, I think, had some interest there. … Masai Ujiri and the Mavericks really wanted a college coach. They tried multiple times, from what I am told, to talk Jon Scheyer into coming to Dallas. They made multiple runs.”
It’s easy to see why the Mavericks wanted Scheyer. According to Windhorst, the presence of former Duke superstar Cooper Flagg also factored into the Mavericks’ interest in Scheyer.
“Obviously, the Cooper Flagg connection there, that played a role,” Windhorst said. “They were not gonna be able to convince Jon Scheyer to come.”
With Scheyer remaining at Duke, the Mavericks pivoted to May, who officially accepted the position Monday. ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Adam Schefter and Shams Charania first reported the hiring.
Moreover, May arrives in Dallas fresh off leading Michigan to the national championship. The Wolverines went 64-13 during his two seasons in Ann Arbor, and he previously guided Florida Atlantic to the 2023 Final Four.
The opportunity to coach Flagg reportedly played a major role in May’s decision. The former Duke star became the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and is rightfully viewed as the centerpiece of Dallas’ future.
Alas, May replaces Jason Kidd, who departed in May after five seasons with the organization. The Mavericks reached the NBA Finals in 2024 but failed to make the playoffs in each of the last two seasons after trading away Luka Doncic.
This was obviously a stunning move, but not completely out of left field. Earlier this spring, May hinted that the nonstop nature of roster building had already shifted his focus away from Michigan’s championship celebration.
“You finish that and you immediately turn to what’s next,” May said during Big Ten spring meetings. “The urgency in the portal was paramount.”
Now, May’s next challenge will come in the NBA. ESPN noted he now becomes the first college head coach to jump directly to the league since John Beilein left Michigan for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2019.
After initially missing on Scheyer, the Mavericks are betting May can bring the same winning formula that delivered a national title in Ann Arbor. Time will tell if the now-former Michigan coach can do it.
Like this story1Share article