What Dusty May's Departure Says About Duke's Jon Scheyer

Major news hit the college basketball world on Monday, as it was reported that Michigan head coach Dusty May has agreed to become the next head coach of the Dallas Mavericks. May's departure comes on the heels of delivering the Wolverines a National Championship in 2026.

This is obviously a stunning development, as one of the top head coaches in college basketball will now head to the NBA.

Mar 26, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer speaks with the media during a press conference ahead of the east regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Mavericks Were Interested in Jon Scheyer

Earlier in the offseason, it was reported that the Mavericks were very interested in May and Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer. 2025 NBA Draft No. 1 overall pick and current Maverick Cooper Flagg was coached by Scheyer in Durham, and several other former Blue Devils are currently with the Mavericks.

However, any buzz about Scheyer and the Mavericks was quickly shut down, as Scheyer remained set with Duke as he hopes to deliver the program's sixth national title in 2026-27.

NEWS: Michigan coach Dusty May is finalizing a deal to take the Dallas Mavericks head coaching job, sources tell @PeteThamel, @ShamsCharania and me. May led Michigan basketball to the national title in April. The allure of coaching Cooper Flagg as a linchpin piece helped draw… pic.twitter.com/DaGUpaAcwi
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 22, 2026

The timing of this hire by May obviously puts Michigan in an extremely difficult position, as its roster was already set heading into the year. Following May's departure, a 15-day transfer window will open for players five days after a new head coach is hired or publicly announced. If a new hire is not made within 30 days of the previous head coach's departure, the 15-day window will then open.

In a way, this is similar to the situation the Duke football program found itself in this offseason, as star quarterback Darian Mensah and star wide receiver Cooper Barkate entered the transfer portal with hours to go before the portal closed. The Wolverines have now been sent into a similar spiral.

Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer talks to a referee March 21, 2026 during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament second round East Region game with TCU at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Network South Carolina / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What May's Departure Says About Jon Scheyer

As we already mentioned, Dallas was very interested in both May and Scheyer, and had been for weeks. However, May's leaving Michigan at this time says one thing above all about Scheyer: loyalty.

May brought Michigan to a national title in his second season in Ann Arbor and was set to enter the 2026-27 campaign as a top-five team in the sport. Duke, coming off one of the biggest NCAA Tournament collapses in history to UConn in the Elite Eight, will enter the year in a similar spot.

Michigan head coach Dusty May looks on from the court ahead of the NCAA national championship game against Connecticut at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Monday, April 6, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

May will now leave the program he built back to college basketball dominance right at its peak to take over at the NBA level, whereas Scheyer will stick with the Blue Devils as he looks to overcome two straight gut-wrenching NCAA Tournament collapses.

In today's NIL era, players are often scrutinized for jumping to other programs in this fashion in search of a higher salary or bigger opportunities. But when coaches do it, it's completely okay.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer looks on from the bench against the UConn Huskies during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Scheyer, despite continued interest from the Mavericks, never wavered from his loyalty to Duke, and will enter the season with his best chance yet to cut down the nets in early April. Over in Ann Arbor, Michigan's expectations heading into the year are now completely up in the air.

Duke fans shouldn't take Scheyer for granted, as this move shows just how quickly one of the top programs in the sport can take a complete 180.

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