Dallas Mavericks team president Masai Ujiri speaks about coach Jason Kidd’s departure during a press conference at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Wednesday, May 20, 2026.
Juan Figueroa/The Dallas Morning News
It’s been nearly 10 days since the Mavericks parted ways with former head coach Jason Kidd, and their comprehensive search for a replacement is in full swing.
One of the most insightful revelations about team president and alternate governor Masai Ujiri’s hiring process is his intention to cast a wide net. He and general manager Mike Schmitz plan to interview candidates with and without NBA head coaching experience and won’t limit the search to the pros, remaining open to the possibility of someone from the college or international levels.
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“It’s an open search,” Ujiri said. “Our minds are very open. We’re going to look everywhere. No stone unturned, and we will really, really look at what’s best for this organization.”
Dallas is one of four teams in the NBA with coaching vacancies, joining Chicago, Orlando and Portland. A short list of candidates has been reported for each of those three franchises, but the Mavericks’ search has been relatively quiet, without any candidates directly linked to the highly desirable opening.
But Ujiri’s previous head coaching hires, Nick Nurse and Darko Rajakovic, the former and current coach of the Toronto Raptors, respectively, reveal what the lead executive values and how he operates.
Assistants welcome
Nurse and Rajakovic were first-time head coaches who had served as lead assistants for several seasons, signaling Ujiri doesn’t see a problem with taking a risk on an assistant without head coaching experience. It paid off well when the Raptors won a championship in Nurse’s first season. Rajakovic has a losing coaching record through his first three seasons in Toronto, but he’s increased his win total every year, including this year’s spike of an extra 16 victories.
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Several top assistants could be in position for their first head coaching gig, including Minnesota’s Micah Nori and James Borrego, who spent this season as New Orleans’ interim coach. The Orlando Magic took one top assistant off the board Friday: Sean Sweeney, the San Antonio Spurs’ associate head coach and former Mavericks assistant.
Nori and veteran coach Jeff Van Gundy have been reported as finalists for the Trail Blazers’ vacancy, along with Tiago Splitter.
International experience a plus
Both coaches also had a respectable amount of international experience upon their appointment as head coach. Nurse spent more than a decade in Europe and was also an assistant for Great Britain at the 2012 London Olympics. Rajakovic is a native of Serbia and began his youth coaching career there at the age of 16. Ujiri has a renowned reputation for his international scouting background before climbing the ranks to become an executive.
Must be relationship builders
Ujiri listed “incredible philosophy” as one of the qualities he’s looking for in a new coach, emphasizing the desire to have his future leader possess the capability of relating to every player.
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“It’s all the things you want in a head coach. It’s leadership, vision, creativity, working with people,” Ujiri said. “We’re looking for all of that in a head coach.”
Competitive fire required
Whoever the Mavericks hire will need to be competitive, especially since Ujiri’s main priority is to win, even if he admitted that the franchise may be a couple of years away from contention status.
“This is very important in this person we’re hiring,” Ujiri said. “You have to be competitive in this league. Are you seeing what’s going on? By the way, two young coaches [San Antonio’s Mitch Johnson and Oklahoma City’s Mark Daigneault] with incredible minds just fighting for the Western Conference finals. And on the other side, two experienced coaches [New York’s Mike Brown and Cleveland’s Kenny Atkinson] who are fighting for the Eastern Conference finals.”
Hired before the draft
Ujiri didn’t specify when he’d like to have a new coach in place, but the timelines of his previous hires offers a clue. He fired former Raptors coach Dwane Casey on May 11, 2018, and hired Nurse 33 days later, on June 13. The appointment occurred just nine days before the 2018 NBA draft.
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Ujiri fired Nurse shortly after the regular season ended on April 21, 2023, and spent nearly two months searching for a successor until he hired Rajakobic on June 19. That hire occurred 12 days before the draft.
Kidd’s departure was announced May 19, with over a month until the first round of the draft June 23. It’s apparent Ujiri takes as much time as necessary to vet and evaluate the right person for the job, but balances that with urgency to prioritize having a coach hired before the draft.
If his track record holds, the Mavericks’ next coach could be in place no later than the third week of June.