Just a day before the commencement of the 2026 NBA Draft, the Dallas Mavericks have finally hired a coach and it is a stunner. According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Shams Charania and Adam Schefter, the Mavericks have poached Dusty May from the National Champion Michigan Wolverines.
This has been a precipitous rise for the 49 year old May, who has been a steady riser throughout his career. A graduate of Indiana, May broke into the space as an assistant at his alma mater in 2004, after being a video coordinator at both Indiana and USC. May bounced around the mid-major ranks as an assistant until 2015, when he was hired onto Florida’s staff after Billy Donovan left to coach the OKC Thunder.
May’s first head coaching gig was at Florida Atlantic, where he led the Owls to their first ever Final Four in 2023. After the 2024 season, May was hired at the University of Michigan to replace Juwan Howard. May reached the Sweet Sixteen in his first season in Ann Arbor, before eventually winning it all last season. Overall, May compiled a fantastic 190-82 record as a head coach in college, including a sparkling 64-13 during his two-year run at Michigan.
Now, what exactly will May bring to the Mavericks? He is seen as one of the game’s best X’s and O’s coaches, as seen during the NCAA Tournament. Michigan consistently had elite game plans and in game, May was one of the country’s best at tinkering and adjusting if needed.
May also brings in a track record of elite development. In his tenure in college, May was able to get the best out of players who had previously underachieved. Elliott Cadeau is one who immediately comes to mind. Cadeau struggled at North Carolina after being a very highly touted recruit, and in one year under May, he became Michigan’s most important cog during their run to the title. Same goes for Morez Johnson, Aday Mara and to a lesser extent, Yaxel Lendeborg. All three guys transferred into Michigan, and all three became far better players under May.
Finally, May is a player’s coach. He was able to develop great relationships with his players at all of his stops, which helps develop great culture on all of his teams. His guys always played hard for him, and coaches around the country consistently pointed to May as one of the sport’s elite.
Personally, I think this is a coup for the Mavericks. Many in the college game thought May might eventually be NBA-bound, but most thought it’d be a few years from now. For the Mavericks to bring him in now speaks to just how highly thought of this position is. Time will tell, but May has won everywhere and I expect it to be no different in the NBA.
