Dusty May Leaves Michigan for Mavericks After Title
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- Dusty May is finalizing a deal to leave Michigan — where he went 64-13 over two seasons and won the 2026 national title — for the Dallas Mavericks' head coaching job, replacing fired coach Jason Kidd.
- May becomes the first college head coach to take an NBA job since John Beilein left Michigan for Cleveland in 2019, and the first to leave immediately after winning a national title since Kansas' Larry Brown in 1988.
- Michigan is working to promote assistant Mike Boynton Jr. as interim coach; under NCAA rules, a 15-day transfer window will open five days after a new head coach is publicly announced, putting the Wolverines' Final Four MOP Elliot Cadeau and recruits like Trey McKenney in position to explore options.
- The Mavericks fired Jason Kidd after a 26-56 season despite owing him more than $40 million over four remaining years on his contract, and brought in Masai Ujiri as president of basketball operations to run the search.
- May inherits a roster built around Cooper Flagg, last season's NBA Rookie of the Year at 21.0 points per game, who was acquired in the wake of the controversial February 2025 Luka Doncic trade to the Lakers that led to GM Nico Harrison's November firing.
- Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel publicly announced at the April championship parade that May had agreed to a new long-term deal — a claim the source notes was never signed or formalized before May's NBA pivot.
Why it matters: Michigan won a national title and its AD publicly claimed May was locked up long-term, yet the deal was never signed and May is now the first coach to win a college title and leave for the NBA since 1988. The Mavericks are paying Jason Kidd roughly $40 million not to coach while handing the keys to a 49-year-old who has never coached an NBA game, betting that pairing him with Cooper Flagg can stabilize a franchise still reeling from the Doncic trade.
