Dusty May Departing Michigan for NBA in Blockbuster Career Move (Report)

Michigan coach Dusty May is making the move to the NBA.

ESPN reports that May, who led Michigan basketball to the national title in 2026, is set to take the Dallas Mavericks' head coaching job. The outlet adds that, while he "had ruled out other college jobs this offseason," the NBA "has always been intriguing to May."

The Mavericks parted ways with Jason Kidd after a 26-56 season last year. The team has not made it to the playoffs in the past two seasons, which many attribute to the trade of superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2025.

So now, May gets to work with an up-and-coming team centered around the 2025-26 NBA Rookie of the Year, Cooper Flagg, who averaged 21.0 points per game last season.

Across his two years in Ann Arbor, he led Michigan to a 64-13 record. And last season was highlighted by the team's big win against Connecticut in the national championship game. Three of the players he coached - Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara - are expected to be the first-round picks in the 2026 NBA Draft.

May and Michigan also agreed on a contract extension in April, with athletic director Warde Manuel telling fans during the title celebration that May will "be the leader of this basketball team for many years to come."

"We reached an agreement on the terms, and we're putting it on paper," Manuel told The Athletic after the ceremony. "He's going to be our coach. Dusty and I have a great relationship. We've been busy, and my staff has been working on it. It's going to be on his desk this weekend."

Before his time with the Wolverines, he was at Florida Atlantic, where he helped the team get to back-to-back NCAA tournaments, including a 2023 Final Four appearance.

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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 12:38 PM.