Mavs' Dusty May Makes NBA Jump After 'Frustrating' Time at Michigan

It's not a surprise to hear how or why coaches, regardless of sport, are fed up with the way modern college athletics are operated. The name, image, likeness phenomenon, the unconstrained reality of the transfer portal, and a standard for coach contracts that has not progressed can all be determinations for why a coach would leave the college ranks.

Just as Dusty May did as he takes the head coach job with the Dallas Mavericks.

Though Dallas reportedly offered the position to Duke coach Jon Scheyer, to which the Blue Devils alum and hand-picked successor of Mike Krzyzewski chose to stay put, the Mavs find success in luring a coach away from the ever-evolving college world for what one would hope is a more systematic position that joins the glitz and glamor of pro ball.

That's an major victory considering May just won a national championship and was widely considered one of the brightest minds in college basketball.

On reporter Jeff Goodman's podcast just last week, the former Michigan Wolverines coach was candid about how life can be difficult in college athletics.

"The actual game and profession is sustainable, [but] it's just a low quality of life for the people involved in it, because the uncertainty and just the lack of overall structure," May said.

"Obviously, the frustration is there," he added. "Because, you need multi-year contracts, you need - in my opinion, if we're gonna sign a player from a mid-major, we should pay some sort of buyout in compensation. ...

"The thing that frustrates me is, every time there seems to be a solution to, I guess, solve one of the biggest problems, then some of the more well-known coaches come out and say that that affects them in a negative way. There's a give and take with everything..."

Hearing these remarks explains how May chose to make the jump to the NBA as soon as the Mavs came calling.

When it comes to contracts, not only does the coach mean contracts for players that eliminate yearly transferring, but he could also refer to deals for coaches. That topic was an odd footnote to May's two-year tenure in Ann Arbor, even after guiding the Wolverines through a dominant season and national title.

According to Brandon Brown of MichiganRoundtable, May's decision to leave the Wolverines is shocking initially due to the stellar season he's coming off of and the expectation that he could contend for another championship in 2027.

However, when it comes to May's contract at U-M, there turned out to be more gray area than anticipated.

READ MORE: Have Mavs Narrowed First-Round Targets at No. 30 to Four?

"'Where there's smoke there's fire,' you hear that saying a lot, but at the assembly at Crisler Center - at the parade after Michigan won its national title," Brown recalls, "Athletic director Warde Manuel went on this big speech, this big stage, and said 'We're gonna keep Dusty May here for many years to come, we've got a new deal,' and now maybe that wasn't the case.

"There was never an official announcement of a signing, it was just kind of like a word-of-mouth - like a big announcement to the fans at this private event. ... So, I'm sure we'll learn a little more about how that came about, but it seems like a moot point, I guess, now as he's gonna be in the NBA."

Speculations online say Manuel, who many believe botched Michigan's handling of the situations involving controversial football coaches John Harbaugh and Sherrone Moore, staying with the institution meant May would have a greater chance of finding a way out when the opportunity presented itself.

ESPN's Shams Charania reports that May's decision ultimately came down to three factors, headlined expectedly by the emerging star Cooper Flagg. Charania cites the city of Dallas as a whole and the Mavs' new front-office leadership of president Masai Ujiri and general manager Mike Schmitz guiding the way.

READ MORE: Mavs Discussing NBA Draft Trade with Thunder, Per Report

According to The Detroit News, May "was finalizing a contract extension during Michigan's run this spring," but no such paperwork was ever signed. What we do know is that May signed an extension on July 25, 2025, which was a five-year, $25 million deal. His buyout figure, which is expected to be paid out by the Mavs to Michigan, is reportedly $5 million due to him leaving the school between May 2026 and the end of April 2027.

"May, 49, earned $4.6 million in base salary last season, and he also earned hundreds of thousands in bonuses, including a $150,000 retention bonus for still being employed April 30," said The Detroit News. "He also earned a $400,000 bonus for winning the national championship, the first for Michigan men's basketball since 1989."

For May and the Mavs, it appears to be a win-win.

Dallas secures its hopeful coach of the future, one led by teenage star Cooper Flagg and the lottery pick the Mavs will select in Tuesday's NBA Draft.

May darts to the professional world, exiting a toxic college atmosphere that apparently plagued even the winningest of coaches.