Dallas Made a Head Coach Move That Could Flip the Entire NBA Draft Board

Okay, Seattle fam, you are NOT gonna believe the news coming out of Dallas, and it's got huge ripple effects for the entire NBA. The Mavericks, after finally moving on from Jason Kidd back in May, had one of the most talked-about head coaching jobs available. I mean, you get to coach a young phenom like Cooper Flagg, who's only 20! So, what did new President of Basketball Operations Masai Ujiri do? He went for it, big time, and landed a whale: the Mavs are hiring reigning national champion Dusty May away from the Michigan Wolverines! This dude is making the jump from college to the pros, the first time since another Michigan coach, John Beilein, did it with the Cavaliers in 2019. This is wild, and it's gonna make their offseason fascinating, especially with the draft looming.

A College Champ Takes the Reins in Dallas?

So yeah, May, the national champion from Michigan, is suddenly the head honcho in Dallas. It's a huge shift, going from the college game straight to the NBA, and it makes you wonder what kind of vision Ujiri has for this squad. The Mavs are built around Flagg, our 20-year-old phenom, but a lot of the other guys were originally put together for an older player, Luka Dončić. Does bringing in a college coach like May mean they're about to lean HARD into a youth movement? It sure feels like it, right? This hire is a clear statement, and now everyone's watching to see if it pays off.

Draft Night Chaos: Wolverines, Wildcats, or a Trade?

Now, here's where it gets absolutely bananas for Dallas, and frankly, for the whole NBA Draft. The Mavericks have the No. 9 overall pick in Tuesday's

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first round. And get this: three of May's former Michigan Wolverines, Aday Mara, Yaxel Lendeborg, and Morez Johnson, are all projected to be in that general draft range. Is May just going to bring one of his old players with him to Dallas? Hold up, though. Ujiri is a championship-winning executive, he isn't about to hand over control of the No. 9 pick to a first-time NBA coach on day one. If the Mavs stick at No. 9, they're probably not straying from whatever plan they've been cooking up. The buzz is that Dallas has been strongly linked to Arizona guard Brayden Burries. Guess who May faced in the Final Four during his championship run? Yep, Burries. May even praised Burries and fellow Wildcats freshman Koa Peat for their Team USA experience, which he saw as key for early college success. But things get REAL interesting if Burries is off the board before No. 9, because he's been linked to the Los Angeles Clippers in the top eight. Or, what if the Mavs trade down? The Thunder, holding the No. 12 and No. 17 picks, make a ton of sense as a partner. They've got draft assets galore and might need to leapfrog teams like the Bucks and Warriors for a specific guy. And here's the kicker: Dallas doesn't control their own first-round pick again until 2031! So, getting more draft volume could be a genius move, especially if there's someone they love at No. 12. With three Michigan guys projected in that area, the chances are definitely there. So, get ready, Seattle fans. The NBA Draft is about to go down, and the Dallas Mavericks' new head coach has just thrown a massive wrench into everyone's plans. Will they pick a Wolverine, grab Burries, or make a trade that reshapes their future? It's going to be wild!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.