Mavericks coach search turns on how Flagg is used

how Dallas – With the Mavericks moving on from Jason Kidd after parting ways in May, the head-coach search is narrowing to candidates who can accelerate Cooper Flagg’s development—especially in a franchise still processing the fallout from the Luka Dončić trade in February

For the Dallas Mavericks, the most important detail in this coaching search isn’t a résumé line or a network connection.

It’s Cooper Flagg.

Flagg is the reigning Rookie of the Year. And the Mavericks, fresh off firing Jason Kidd in May, are now trying to find the right head coach to keep his momentum moving—while also steering Dallas back toward contention.

Dallas has made progress in its search after the Kidd exit. with team president Masai Ujiri and general manager Mike Schmitz leading the effort to turn the page. The timing feels heavy, though, because this isn’t just another offseason reset. It’s been 16 months since what the organization now treats as the disastrous trade of Luka Dončić in February 2025.

After that decision, the Mavericks fired the general manager who made the trade, Nico Harrison. They then traded away the centerpiece player of the return, Anthony Davis, and ousted their head coach. Through all of it, Dallas also landed what they call a bailout of sorts—winning the No. 1 pick in the 2025 Draft, which delivered Flagg.

So the pressure of the next coaching hire isn’t abstract. Whoever arrives has to show what Dallas plans to do with its franchise star, and how quickly. Marc Stein reports that Dallas is expected to speak with more than a dozen coaches as it tries to find the right fit.

The names being floated span two broad paths: elite collegiate leadership and high-end NBA assistant experience.

Jon Scheyer is a natural first conversation

One candidate that quickly came up after Kidd’s departure is Duke coach Jon Scheyer. Scheyer coached Flagg during Flagg’s lone season with the Blue Devils, a year that ended with Duke reaching the Final Four with Flagg leading the way.

Stein reports that the Mavericks have had “exploratory” conversations with Scheyer to gauge his interest in the job. It’s unclear whether Scheyer would want to walk away from what’s described as the best college hoops post in the country.

Duke sits No. 2 in CBS Sports’ latest college basketball rankings after returning four of their top six scorers and picking up some quality players in the transfer portal. The Blue Devils are positioned as title contenders again next season—making it harder to imagine Scheyer wanting to leave even if the Mavericks call.

The second collegiate name on the list is Michigan coach Dusty May, coming off a national championship this past season. As with Scheyer, the likelihood that either May or Scheyer would bolt from their current role is described as low. Still. the Mavericks have reason to check. because a high-profile college winner stepping into the NBA can look like a shortcut—if it clicks.

For Dallas, any gamble here is straightforward: success in college doesn’t always translate to the NBA. But the franchise is also described as a place where expectations wouldn’t be terribly high to start out. The idea, as constructed around Flagg, is that a coach who can grow alongside a developing star could be ideal.

Micah Nori, Royal Ivey, Jama Mahlalela—defense and development on the table

An expected alternative for Dallas is to hire one of the league’s top assistant coaches. The Mavericks already reached out to San Antonio’s associate head coach Sean Sweeney, who served under Kidd for several seasons, but he accepted the Orlando Magic’s coaching position.

Another assistant name that has surfaced in recent cycles is Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori. The reporting around Nori frames him as a defensive-minded coach who would elevate Dallas’ stature on that end of the floor.

The practical appeal for Dallas is Flagg himself. The narrative here is that Flagg would be a “treat” to work with on defense—because he has already shown flashes of being an All-Defensive level player.

Dallas is also expected to explore other assistants and coaching figures, including Houston Rockets assistant Royal Ivey, Raptors assistant Jama Mahlalela, Celtics assistant Tony Dobbins, and Miami Heat consultant Noah LaRoche.

Ivey’s path is unusually wide. He served as an assistant under Billy Donovan in OKC, David Fizdale in New York, and Steve Nash in Brooklyn. He has also been the head coach of South Sudan’s national team since 2021. Under his tutelage. South Sudan reached the quarterfinals at AfroBasket 2021. earned a World Cup berth in 2023. and made the country’s first Olympic appearance in 2024.

Ivey has coached a range of star players, including Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook. He also spent time on the sidelines in Brooklyn when Kyrie Irving was there—an experience that matters if Irving remains on the Mavericks past this summer.

Mahlalela’s connection to Dallas runs through Masai Ujiri more than basketball imagination. He has been involved with the Raptors various times since 2006, starting as a member of the community development staff. In 2013, he became an assistant coach with Toronto. In 2018, he was named the head coach of the G League affiliate. He spent two seasons as an assistant coach under Steve Kerr from 2021 to 2023, when the team won a championship in 2022. He returned as an assistant with the Raptors in 2023.

The reporting notes an overlap: the time in Toronto between Mahlalela and Ujiri.

Dobbins brings a different thread: Boston’s defensive emphasis and a personal connection to players rehabbing through injury. He started his coaching career in 2020 with the Celtics after a professional playing career that spanned 13 years, primarily overseas. His coaching resume is described as short, but his rise in Boston is tied to defense. He served as the Celtics summer league coach in 2023 and was integral in Jayson Tatum’s recovery from an Achilles tear last season.

Tatum praised Dobbins. saying. “I can’t thank him enough for his selflessness and just really being engaged with me every single day.” Jaylen Brown also offered praise. highlighting Dobbins’ patience. Brown said. “Managing the emotions of the game is what he speaks to a lot. because the better players — the better professionals — can manage their stress levels and their emotions during the game. so that they can see the game clearly.”.

LaRoche rounds out the list with an offensive identity. He briefly served as an assistant under Taylor Jenkins in Memphis before the Grizzlies cleaned house of their coaching staff in 2025. This season, he was brought into Miami as a consultant to help reimagine the Heat’s offense.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra called LaRoche an “innovative coaching mind.” The reporting ties that praise to what he did in Memphis and Miami—installing a more free-flowing. uptempo style of offense. That’s described as the kind of approach that would be welcomed in Dallas with Flagg. who is said to excel at getting downhill and playing in transition.

Terry Stotts brings Mavericks history—and a question about defense

There is also a former head coach with Mavericks ties: Terry Stotts. Dallas is reportedly planning to pursue him.

Stotts has been the head coach of the Trail Blazers, Bucks, and Hawks over an extensive career. Most recently, he served as an assistant under Steve Kerr in Golden State. According to Stein, Stotts is only interested in head coaching gigs going forward.

His Dallas connection goes back further. Stotts once served as an assistant under Rick Carlisle in Dallas, and he was on the staff that won a championship in 2011. He was also recommended by minority owner Mark Cuban to serve on Kidd’s staff, though that ultimately never happened.

The case for Stotts is that he helped turn Portland’s franchise around in the nine seasons he was in charge, making the playoffs in eight of those years. The Trail Blazers, in that stretch, had one of the best offensive units in the league, while defense was described as always lackluster.

If Stotts is hired in Dallas, the reporting says it would be crucial to have a defensive-minded presence on the coaching staff so the Mavericks don’t rely too heavily on their offense.

No matter the hire, the Flagg decision is the one that matters

Every candidate being discussed comes back to one central question: how Dallas intends to use and develop Flagg.

He is the franchise star. That makes the coaching hire less about who sounds good in interviews and more about who can strike the balance between continuing Flagg’s development and playing to his strengths.

In a franchise that has already lived through the fallout of the Luka Dončić trade in February 2025, the firing of Nico Harrison as general manager, the trade of Anthony Davis, and the ouster of head coach Jason Kidd in May, the next move can’t feel like another pivot.

It has to feel like a direction.

And for Dallas, that direction starts with what happens on the floor when Cooper Flagg is on it—and who is in the room to shape it.

Dallas Mavericks coaching search Jason Kidd Cooper Flagg Masai Ujiri Mike Schmitz Jon Scheyer Dusty May Micah Nori Royal Ivey Jama Mahlalela Tony Dobbins Noah LaRoche Terry Stotts Luka Dončić Nico Harrison Anthony Davis