Gonzaga could benefit from Dusty May's surprising move to the NBA

In a shocking move across the college basketball landscape, Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May - fresh off a national championship - is headed to the NBA to take over as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks.

The move was announced early Monday morning, less than 48 hours before the first round of the NBA draft, where three of May's former players - Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara, and Morez Johnson Jr - are all expected to go in the first round.

This move has massive ripple effects all across college basketball, even with Michigan moving quickly to announce assistant Mike Boynton - who was the head coach at Oklahoma State from 2017-2024 - will take over May's role on an interim basis.

Gonzaga - who lost to Michigan in the Players Era championship last November - will be impacted by May's decision in multiple different ways, at both the collegiate and NBA level. While the team is not slated to play Michigan directly, they could end up facing them in a rematch in the Players Era Festival this year and would love to exact some revenge on the Wolverines after last year's drubbing.

NEWS: Michigan coach Dusty May is finalizing a deal to take the Dallas Mavericks head coaching job, sources tell me @shams and @AdamSchefter. May led Michigan basketball to the national title in April. The allure of coaching Cooper Flagg as a linchpin piece helped draw him. pic.twitter.com/nnEZplL5BG
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) June 22, 2026

Could Zags poach?

College basketball players are allowed to enter the transfer portal following a coaching change, although the rules around that have changed since last season. Instead of a coaching change triggering an immediate 30-day portal window, now players only have 15 days to enter the portal - and it starts five days after a new head coach is formally announced.

That means anyone on Michigan's roster will be eligible to enter the transfer portal five days after Boynton is officially named the head coach of the Wolverines, which should happen any day.

Gonzaga has multiple holes on the roster, notably in the backcourt behind returners Mario Saint-Supery and Davis Fogle, as well as transfer Isiah Harwell and incoming freshmen Luca Foster and Juwan Ekanga-Ehawa.

The loss of Jack Kayil - who stayed in the NBA draft - created a hole in GU's backcourt, and someone like sophomore Trey McKenney or junior LJ Cason would be a perfect fit.

McKenney averaged 9.9 points and shot 39.1% from 3 as a freshman last year, and the 6'4 guard would immediately push Harwell to the bench and provide the Zags with desperately needed floor spacing off the ball.

Likewise, Cason - while a bit undersized at 6'2 - is a tough guard who can play on or off the ball and hit 40.2% of his three-point attempts last year for the national champions.

In addition to Michigan's returners, the team's excellent incoming freshman class could opt to decommit and look elsewhere for a college home next season.

While 5-star guard Brandon McCoy is probably not in the cards, Gonzaga could take a look at one of the team's other wing commits - like 6'6 SG Joseph Hartman or 6'5 SG Malachi Brown. Both are 4-star recruits who would give the Zags more depth in the backcourt - although neither would help with the team's lack of experience.

7'3 Spanish center Marcus Moller is another player to keep an eye on. Moller last played for Unicaja Malaga's youth system - the same club that Killian Tillie represents - and while the frontcourt isn't a major need, Moller is a highly talented upside big man who would give the Zags insurance in case the NCAA does not rule in favor of Izan Almansa this upcoming season.

Ryan Nembhard effect

Apr 12, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Ryan Nembhard (9) | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

May moving to Dallas means he will be former Gonzaga point guard Ryan Nembhard's head coach, assuming the team picks up his $2.1M team option.

Nembhard, Gonzaga's single-season record holder for assists, had a phenomenal rookie year with the Mavs, averaging 6.6 points and 5.3 assists in 60 games while making 27 starts despite joining the team as an undrafted free agent.

Nembhard racked up 23 assists in his final regular-season game, breaking a Mavericks rookie record set by his former head coach, Jason Kidd.

May has plenty of success with undersized, pass-first point guards, winning his national championship this past season on the back of Elliot Cadeau - who is a similar player to Nembhard in a lot of ways.

The coaching change could be good for Nembhard entering his second NBA season - although it's hard to deny the impact Kidd, a Hall of Fame PG, was having on the rookie this past season.

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