Why Mavericks hired Michigan coach Dusty May to lead Cooper Flagg era
Dan TreacyMon, June 22, 2026 at 2:56 PM UTC·4 min readWhy Mavericks hired Michigan coach Dusty May to lead Cooper Flagg era originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Dallas Mavericks have shaken up both the NBA and college basketball landscapes.
AdvertisementAdvertisementIn a stunning hire, the Mavericks are bringing in Michigan's Dusty May as their next head coach, ESPN reported.
May went 64-13 in Ann Arbor, leading the Wolverines to a national championship this past season after taking FAU to the Final Four in 2023. Considered one of the best coaches in college basketball, May will have the chance to coach phenom Cooper Flagg in Dallas.
Here's what you need to know about May's move to the NBA.
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Why Mavericks hired Dusty May
With one of the most attractive young assets in the NBA in Flagg, the Mavericks likely saw right now as the time to strike and land a premier coach. Without a premier coach available from the NBA ranks, new team president Masai Ujiri was able to convince May to make the jump and come to Dallas.
AdvertisementAdvertisementA national champion at Michigan, May took two programs to the Final Four over the last four seasons and developed a strong reputation for talent evaluation after building a loaded roster at FAU and identifying under-the-radar stars on the transfer market before the Wolverines' title-winning season.
May hinted the week after winning a championship in April that he didn't feel fulfilled, which may explain his decision to head to the NBA.
"I don't know if it's just me, but I'd heard where you climb the ladder and you say, 'Is this really it?' And it was worse. It was less than 'it,' May told CBS Sports. "The journey was so much better than the destination. The finality of it all is almost disappointing because you have one of the most special groups of humans you'll ever be around, and at that moment, it all ends."
Two months later, Michigan will be looking for a new head coach while Ujiri and the Mavericks have landed quite a prize.
AdvertisementAdvertisementMORE:What Mavericks fans need to know about Dusty May
Dusty May contract
The details of May's deal with the Mavericks haven't been disclosed yet, but you can expect him to receive a lucrative deal.
May signed an extension with Michigan less than a year into his tenure, bringing his salary just north of $5 million per year, and AD Warde Manuel announced in April that the school had agreed to another extension with May coming off the national championship.
The terms of the new deal were never disclosed, and it's unclear whether May ever actually signed the deal. Now, he's set to be one of the NBA's highest-paid coaches in all likelihood.
AdvertisementAdvertisementHas Dusty May ever coached in the NBA?
The NBA is an entirely new venture for May, as he got his start as a student manager under Bob Knight at Indiana and has remained in the college ranks ever since.
May spent more than a decade as a college assistant at a handful of different stops before getting his first head coaching job at FAU in 2018 and leaving for Michigan in 2024. The Mavericks are taking a gamble by hiring someone with no NBA experience, though May's track record at the college level speaks for itself.
MORE:Dusty May's full coaching timeline
Dusty May coaching record at Michigan
Record: 64-13
May went 64-13 at Michigan, taking a program coming off an 8-24 season to the Sweet 16 in year one and winning a national championship at 37-3 this past season. The Wolverines lost only to Wisconsin, Michigan and Purdue before winning six straight in the NCAA Tournament and claiming their first national title since 1989.
Dusty May career coaching record
Season | School | W | L | Pct |
2018-19 | FAU | 17 | 16 | .515 |
2019-20 | FAU | 17 | 15 | .531 |
2020-21 | FAU | 13 | 10 | .583 |
2021-22 | FAU | 19 | 15 | .611 |
2022-23 | FAU | 35 | 4 | .897 |
2023-24 | FAU | 25 | 9 | .735 |
2024-25 | Michigan | 27 | 10 | .730 |
2025-26 | Michigan | 37 | 3 | .925 |
Total | 190 | 82 May you like | .699 |
May went 190-82 between FAU and Michigan, including a 124-26 mark over the last four seasons. May has never had a losing season as a head coach.
