The Dallas Mavericks just made their biggest move of the NBA offseason, adding Dusty May as their head coach.

After the 2025-26 season ended in disappointment, the Mavericks fired Jason Kidd, hoping for a clean slate with Cooper Flagg leading the way. Despite Kidd's track record of developing defensive-minded forwards (think Giannis Antetokounmpo), the Mavericks' new front office regime opted to start fresh.

To replace Kidd, they brought in May, who just won a national championship with the Michigan Wolverines. Just three years removed from coaching mid-major Florida Atlantic University, May finds himself at the highest level.

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The Mavericks, as the offseason started, were linked to Sean Sweeney, Jon Scheyer, and Dawn Staley, among others. May was a name floated, although as Michigan looked to run things back, it was initially expected that he would stay in college.

Of course, the bright lights of the NBA proved to be too much to pass up.

May got his first head coaching job with the FAU Owls in 2018 and led them to the Final Four in 2023. After that remarkable season, Michigan came calling, and May packed his bags, heading north to Ann Arbor. In just his second season with the Wolverines, he led them to their first national championship since 1989.

May's Michigan squad is expected to have several players drafted into the NBA next week, with Aday Mara, Morez Johnson, and the All-American Yaxel Lendeborg leading the charge. Of course, none of them is as tantalizing a prospect as Flagg was, and with the Wolverines losing several top players, May likely opted to avoid a recruiting rebuild, instead heading pro.

In May's first season in Dallas, the Mavericks' goal will be simple: improvement. Last season, they finished 26-56, all without Kyrie Irving. With Flagg and Irving leading the way in 2026-27, the Mavericks are expected to take a step forward, but they remain a far cry from contention in a loaded Western Conference.

Of course, with Flagg, the only place to go is up, and the Mavericks are banking on May being able to get the most out of him and the young roster. May brings a winning pedigree and a history of exceeding expectations, both at Michigan and Florida Atlantic, so perhaps the Mavericks could be his third straight success story.