Mavericks wanted to hire premier coach with Cooper Flagg, Dereck Lively II ties before Dusty May
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Mavericks wanted to hire premier coach with Cooper Flagg, Dereck Lively II ties before Dusty May originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Dallas Mavericks are entering a completely new era this season after clearing house with former general manager Nico Harrison and head coach Jason Kidd. It still remains to be seen exactly which players will also get a clean slate throughout the season.
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Dallas went an interesting route this summer with its head coach. The Mavericks hired national championship-winning head coach Dusty May after just two seasons at Michigan.
“May, 49, led Michigan basketball to the national title in 2026. He'll coach a franchise with Cooper Flagg as a linchpin player. The Mavericks fired Jason Kidd after a 26-56 season last year. May led Michigan to a 64-13 record over two seasons in Ann Arbor. In his previous job, he led Florida Atlantic to back-to-back NCAA tournaments, including the 2023 Final Four,” Pete Thamel, Adam Schefter, and Shams Charania wrote.
However, it turns out that before May was hired, the Mavericks were interested in hiring Duke head coach Jon Scheyer.
“League sources told ESPN's Tim MacMahon in June that the Mavericks gauged the interest of Scheyer, who coached Dallas star Cooper Flagg during his one season at Duke,” ESPN’s Jeff Borzello wrote.
With this information, it is fair to say that May might not have been Dallas’ first choice. Scheyer would have been an intriguing option at just 39 years old, and he was the head coach of both Cooper Flagg and Dereck Lively II at Duke. Scheyer mentioned Duke as his dream job as the reason for not taking the Mavericks position.
“I know I'm right where I'm supposed to be. Not many people can get their dream job at 33. I'm in this for the long haul with Duke,” Scheyer told the media.
There was a direct motive for the Mavericks to go after Scheyer, as he probably knows Lively and Flagg better than any other potential coaching candidate. He also could have related to a young team while still being in his late 30s.
Dallas ultimately went with May, who was ready to leave the college basketball landscape. Still, one has to wonder if Scheyer was the Mavericks’ preferred choice before he decided to remain at Duke. It is also possible that Flagg and Lively could have pushed for Scheyer, considering their previous relationship with their former head coach.
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