The Dallas Mavericks are two weeks from the NBA Draft and still do not have a permanent head coach, a timing crunch that has draft-driven roster decisions stuck in neutral. The quiet search is being run by new team president Masai Ujiri and general manager Mike Schmitz, but the front office has offered almost nothing publicly about interviews or finalists, leaving fans and draft analysts to play connect-the-dots on who will actually lead the team next season.
After the organization parted ways with Jason Kidd in mid-May, Ujiri said he planned to conduct a comprehensive coaching search, according to The Dallas Morning News. The Mavericks confirmed Kidd’s exit in an official team release on NBA.com.
League reporting has tied Dallas to a wide range of potential candidates, from high-profile college coaches to veteran NBA assistants. Media coverage has linked the Mavericks to names such as Dusty May, Jon Scheyer, Micah Nori, Royal Ivey, Jama Mahlalela, Tony Dobbins and Terry Stotts, according to CBS Sports. For now, all of that looks more like a longlist than a true finalist board.
Schmitz, hired earlier in May, has told reporters he is helping Ujiri run a deliberate process and that the organization is prioritizing alignment and communication when it evaluates candidates, per The Dallas Morning News. At the same time, the Mavericks have kept many interview specifics under wraps compared with other recent searches, so the real timeline is murky from the outside.
Draft clock and roster stakes
The NBA Draft is scheduled for June 23-24 at Barclays Center, which gives Dallas roughly two weeks to put a coach in place who could weigh in on scouting and the No. 9 pick, according to HoopsRumors. The Mavericks hold multiple selections this year, including a top-10 pick plus additional first- and second-round assets, a setup that only heightens the pressure to have a clear voice on the bench before those choices lock in.
What the top names would mean
Dusty May would arrive with fresh championship credentials after guiding Michigan to the 2026 national title, and he has since agreed to a contract extension that appears likely to keep him in Ann Arbor, according to Yahoo Sports. Jon Scheyer, meanwhile, is a natural theoretical fit because of his work with Cooper Flagg at Duke, though national reporting has consistently noted that both college coaches would be difficult to pry away from their programs, per CBS Sports.
The NBA assistants under consideration would offer pro experience and a smoother adjustment to the league grind, even if they lack the marquee shine that comes with a championship-winning college name. For Dallas, the real question appears to be which candidate fits best with Flagg and the broader organizational plan, not who wins the press conference.
Bottom line
The search is moving quietly but deliberately. Ujiri and Schmitz look intent on finding a coach who meshes with the roster and front-office philosophy rather than chasing a splashy headline hire. With the draft two weeks away and the clock getting louder by the day, the eventual choice is expected to emphasize communication and player development over instant public fanfare.
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