ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Fresh off a national championship, the University of Michigan basketball program finds itself in an unexpected coaching search.
Dusty May is heading to the NBA, with the 49-year-old coach and the Dallas Mavericks in the final stages of completing a contract agreement, according to a source familiar with the situation who spoke to the Associated Press on Monday. The source requested anonymity since the deal had not yet been officially finalized.
May guided the Wolverines to a national title with a victory over UConn in Indianapolis, delivering Michigan its first championship since 1989.
Just days after the celebration, athletic director Warde Manuel announced he had locked May into a long-term contract extension during a victory rally back in Ann Arbor. Two months later, May is on his way out the door.
He will take over a Dallas squad that includes reigning Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg and nine-time All-Star Kyrie Irving. May steps into the role previously held by Jason Kidd, who was dismissed two weeks after Masai Ujiri came aboard as president of basketball operations and alternate governor.
Whether any of May’s current coaching staff will follow him to Dallas remains unknown at this time.
Manuel could look internally, potentially promoting assistant coach Mike Boynton — a former head coach at Oklahoma State — to lead the program. Two-time national champion coach Billy Donovan has also been mentioned as a possible candidate should he choose to return to the college game. The former Florida head coach stepped down from his position with the Chicago Bulls in April after six seasons there, which followed a five-year stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The coaching departure isn’t the only challenge facing Michigan heading into next season. The program is also expected to lose three players who are projected to be selected in the first round of Tuesday night’s NBA draft.
Manuel had brought May over from Florida Atlantic in 2024, and the coach wasted no time turning around a struggling program. Just two years earlier, Michigan had lost a school-record 24 games — a stretch that ultimately cost former Fab Five player Juwan Howard his job.
May made effective use of the transfer portal during both of his seasons, specifically targeting players who excelled at passing, believing that quality passers tend to be strong teammates. His offensive philosophy centered on floor spacing, while his defensive approach was aggressive and relentless.
Transfers Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara, and Morez Johnson Jr. all chose Michigan last season, and the trio helped the Wolverines win a school-record 37 games and claim the program’s second national title, all while boosting their own NBA draft prospects.
May had already been building toward next season, bringing in nine new players — including three from the portal — but those recruits and current roster members will now have the option to seek transfers following his exit.
Manuel had moved quickly to extend May’s contract after the season partly to fend off interest from other programs, including North Carolina, which parted ways with its own coach and hired a former NBA head coach. Keeping May away from an NBA opportunity, however, was likely never a realistic possibility.
