Dusty May Inherits a Cooper Flagg-Led Mavericks Roster With Limited Draft Capital to Reshape It
Dallas formally introduced Dusty May as its head coach on Monday, nearly a week after hiring him away from Michigan and installing him in time to take part in the franchise’s first draft under new president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri and general manager Mike Schmitz.
May, 49, arrives less than three months after leading Michigan to the 2026 national championship, a 34-3 season capped by a 69-63 win over Connecticut. He went 64-13 across two years with the Wolverines and 126-69 over six seasons at Florida Atlantic, where he reached the 2023 Final Four. He is the first national-title-winning college coach to move to the NBA since Billy Donovan left Florida for Oklahoma City in 2015, and the first college head coach of any kind to make the jump since John Beilein joined Cleveland in 2019.
May replaces Jason Kidd, whom Dallas dismissed after a 26-56 finish, roughly two weeks after Ujiri took over basketball operations and began what he has called a clean slate for the franchise.
Dusty May says the first discussion of this job happened in Chicago, when discussing the Michigan trio of NBA Draft prospects. Then they asked if he would have any interest in the Mavs head coaching job.
— Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) June 29, 2026
May: “This one checks all the boxes.” pic.twitter.com/b5ckEJt6BX
How May Ended Up in Dallas
May said he had planned to return to Michigan until Ujiri and Schmitz approached him at the NBA draft combine in Chicago, where the conversation started with his three lottery-bound college players and turned into a job offer.
“At that point, I had full intentions of being back at Michigan no matter what,” May said. “And then whenever we were talking about our guys, we had three guys in the lottery, it was mentioned, would I have any interest in this job? My eyes went up and instantly I said, ‘This one checks all the boxes.'”
What sold him, he said, was the roster already in place and the people running it.
“Obviously, you have a young superstar in Cooper Flagg who is about all the right stuff, one of the best point guards in the history of the game in Kyrie Irving, and a supporting cast of really quality players and quality people,” May said. “I can’t wait to get there and be part of the group.”
A Roster Built Around Cooper Flagg
Flagg, the No. 1 pick in 2025 and Rookie of the Year, is the team’s core. He averaged 21.0 points as a rookie, the first since Michael Jordan (1984-85) to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. He also became the youngest to score 50 in an NBA game.
Irving is set to return after missing the 2025-26 season due to a left ACL tear on March 3, 2025. Anthony Davis, acquired in the trade sending Luka Dončić to the Lakers, leads a front court with Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II, while Klay Thompson, Max Christie, P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall, and Caleb Martin could fill the rotation.
May used his introduction to directly address Irving’s uncertain place in the rebuild after a lost season.
“Kyrie knows what it takes to win a championship,” May said. “So as a first-time NBA coach, I’m going to lean on him in a lot of areas. He’s one of the greatest point guards to ever play our game, and I can’t wait to be around him every day and help him on his journey.”
May expects a quick return to competitiveness, relying on veterans and young players nearing a leap, when asked about the playoff timeline.
“Sooner than later,” May said. “We have some veterans that have done it before in pivotal moments, and we have some young guys that are on the cusp of breakthrough seasons.”
He views the Mavericks’ roster makeup as having a higher ceiling than what external expectations may suggest.
“I’ve taken a lot of pride on being a part of teams where I feel like we have all over-achieved,” May said. “So if we were all committed to playing incredibly unselfish basketball, competing at the highest level, and really sharing the success, and caring about each other, then we’ll surpass all expectations.”
Betting That College Translates
May has never coached in the NBA and considers the modern college game more as preparation than a gap. Since his hiring, he’s analyzed his players and finds few stylistic differences between the two levels.
“The last five years of the NIL era is a segue into the NBA,” May said. “We weren’t coaching professional players per se where they’re under contract, but they were getting paid. The game is closer than ever. College, NBA, the G League, stylistically they all look very, very similar.”
Why is Dusty May no longer the head coach at Michigan after winning the National Championship?@WindhorstESPN #GoBlue #MFFL #NBA pic.twitter.com/HvywjiILbp
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) June 29, 2026
A Draft He Says He Didn’t Steer
The Mavericks picked Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr., a 6-foot-9 defender and rebounder, with the No. 9 pick, a choice attributed to coach May. May said he had no input, and Schmitz stated Dallas was happy Johnson was available and fit their needs.
Dallas traded the No. 30 pick for No. 25 to acquire Spanish guard Sergio De Larrea, chose Virginia Tech forward Tobi Lawal at No. 48, and bought the No. 56 pick to add Russian shooter Vsevolod Ishchenko. De Larrea and Ishchenko might stay overseas next season. The class focused on length and potential over immediate guard help, receiving mixed reviews due to a thin backcourt and crowded frontcourt, with Johnson ranked near the bottom of the lottery evaluations.
The Constraint the Mavericks Can’t Draft Around
The harder limit on May’s roster is one he can’t fix through the draft, as Dallas can’t move its first-round pick until 2031 due to four trades. The Mavericks owe a top-two protected first to Charlotte in 2027, can swap their 2028 first with Oklahoma City, and send their 2029 first to Houston or Brooklyn. A least-favorable swap follows in 2030.
Dallas has two incoming picks: Lakers’ 2029 unprotected and a top-20 protected 2030 Golden State from the Davis deal. These don’t restore the flexibility lost when the previous front office traded away the team’s picks. Limited tradable picks and two second-rounders constrain star trades, with most controlled picks for other teams’ rebuilds.
Maximizing What’s Already There
This highlights May’s success in transforming an 8-24 Michigan into a champion in two years. He runs a pro-style offense focused on switching, pace, and physicality, which players say prepares them for the next level. May said his Dallas staff will have a “college flavor” with NBA coaches and some holdovers from Kidd’s group. Phil Handy is expected to stay, and Dallas has considered Willie Green, Adrian Griffin, and Noah LaRoche to complete the bench.
A first-year NBA coach with a generational talent and limited draft assets must develop current players, as Dallas’s next controlled first-round pick isn’t until 2031, by which time Flagg will be 24 and in his prime.
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