Dusty May Leaving Michigan Basketball for Dallas Mavericks

May served as head coach of U-M Men’s Basketball for two seasons and led the team to a national title in 2026
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Portrait of Dusty May
Photo by Chuk Nowak

Dusty May, the head coach of the University of Michigan’s Men’s Basketball program, is leaving for a head coach position with the Dallas Mavericks.

ESPN reports May is finalizing a deal with the NBA team, which fired coach Jason Kidd following a 26-56 season.

It’s the end of a very short, but very successful era for the U-M Men’s Basketball program. May’s exit from U-M comes after leading the Wolverines the past two seasons to a 64-13 record. His second season as head coach ended with winning the NCAA Championship. It was the program’s first national title since 1989.

May’s exit could also lead to additional changes on the U-M roster via the transfer portal. Per the NCAA, “When a head coaching change occurs, a 15-day period will open five days after the new head coach is hired or publicly announced. If a new head coach is not announced within 30 days of the previous head coach’s departure — and the 31st day after the head coach’s departure is after the championship game — a 15-day window will open.”

ESPN notes that May is the first college head coach to take an NBA position since 2019. Coincidently, the last college head coach to move to the NBA was former U-M head coach John Beilein, who left Ann Arbor for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but lasted only part of the 2019-2020 regular season.

The Mavericks are in the process to rebuilding, with the team failing to make the NBA Playoffs for the past two seasons. However, the Mavs are on the rise thanks to Cooper Flagg. Picked first overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, the 19-year-old forward won Rookie of the Year honors for the 2025-26 season.

Reasons for Dusty May’s Exit

News of May’s pending departure from U-M led to much speculation on social media as to why he decided to jump to the NBA. May has spoken on many occasions about how much he’s enjoyed leading U-M Men’s Basketball. In a profile published in our November 2025 issue, Hour Detroit contributor Steve Friess reported that May and his family were “settling in for a long run at Michigan after a vagabond life climbing the coaching ladder.” At that time, May said, “We love living here. The people, the culture, the diversity, the restaurants … it’s a special place.”

For the Wolverine fanbase stunned by this exit, CBS Sports’s College Basketball Insider Matt Norlander offered some insight on why May is leaving. The current state of college sports — including, but not limited to, issues like the transfer portal, name-image-likeness deals, massive spending on coaching and athletic department personnel — appear to have pushed May to the NBA.

“I’m not surprised by this whatsoever,” Norlander says in the video below. “I spoke to a source close to Dusty May just a short while ago, and it is the college environment that is pushing him to this decision.”

Norlander added, “…Ultimately, the state of college sports and where things are with a lack of guardrails and the lack of really true, firm infrastructure is a major catalyst [for May’s decision].”

Norlander noted that May has yet to sign a contract with the Mavs, but indicted the decision is essentially a done deal.

 
 




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