The Dallas Mavericks held exploratory conversations with Duke coach Jon Scheyer and Michigan coach Dusty May as part of their search to replace Jason Kidd, NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported Thursday.
Stein described the outreach as an "exploratory conversation" aimed at trying "to determine if there is any interest" from either coach in leaving his college program for the NBA, and added that it "remains to be seen" whether either would consider a move to Dallas.
The timing complicates any quick hire. Scheyer is under contract at Duke through the 2030-31 season, and May just agreed to a contract extension with Michigan. Kidd and the Mavericks parted ways in May after four seasons, coming on the heels of two missed postseasons following the franchise's February 2025 trade of Luka Dončić.
While the team has probed high-profile college men’s coaches, Stein reported that hiring an NBA assistant "is a more realistic outcome." The Mavericks have shown interest in several assistants and consultants around the league, including Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, Houston Rockets assistant Royal Ivey, Toronto Rockets assistant Jama Mahlalela, Boston Celtics assistant Tony Dobbins and Miami Heat consultant Noah LaLa Roche.
One veteran expected to receive an interview is former Atlanta Hawks coach Terry Stotts, a name that points to the front office’s willingness to consider experienced NBA head coaches alongside assistants and college candidates.
The practical obstacles explain the pivot toward assistants. Scheyer’s long-term Duke commitment and May’s recent extension would require agreement from those programs and a willingness by either coach to uproot a college staff; that uncertainty makes the shorter transition for an NBA assistant more attractive. The Mavericks previously reached out to former San Antonio Spurs associate coach Sean Sweeney while he was already in the process of being hired by the Orlando Magic, underscoring how quickly timing can render a contact moot.
Mavericks president Masai Ujiri has signaled an open search philosophy this offseason, saying in May that the club would "look everywhere" — first-time coaches, experienced NBA names, college and international candidates. That public flexibility makes the process wide-ranging but also less predictable for any single candidate.
Dallas has also been linked in recent coverage to a broader roster and personnel conversation that included pivots toward marquee names; one recent analysis of the club’s offseason thinking explored a possible shift toward Cooper Flagg and is available here: Kyrie Irving eyed by Masai Ujiri as Mavericks pivot to Cooper Flagg. For now, however, the coaching search is focused on whether a college coach will answer the call or whether the club will settle for an in-league assistant who can step in immediately.
The immediate next step is procedural: interviews. Stotts is expected to be officially interviewed, and the Mavericks will continue vetting both college and NBA candidates. The sharper unanswered question is whether Dallas will pursue a long-shot college hire that would require program permission and contractual negotiation, or opt for the steadier path of an NBA assistant — and everything reported so far points to the latter as the likelier outcome.
