2 New Names to Know in Dallas Mavericks Coaching Search

With just three days remaining before the start of the 2026 NBA Draft, the Dallas Mavericks still don't have a head coach. Jason Kidd was dismissed more than a month ago, but the Mavs have been taking their time in finding the best candidate, and they are keeping their search as quiet as possible.

The new management of team president Masai Ujiri and general manager Mike Schmitz has already interviewed a handful of candidates, and most of them have been the league's top assistant coaches. That's the direction people around the NBA expect them to go.

NBA insider Marc Stein released a list of people that the Dallas Mavericks have interviewed for the head coach, which included two new names: Noah LaRoche and Steve Hetzel. Here is a quick breakdown of each candidate.

The Mavericks are known to have interviewed:

Houston's Royal Ivey
Toronto's Jama Mahlalela
Minnesota's Micah Nori
Terry Stotts
Boston's Tony Dobbins
Miami consultant Noah LaRoche
And Brooklyn's Steve Hetzel

Dallas has also pursued Duke's Jon Scheyer and Michigan's Dusty May. https://t.co/4UFSCkTiX2
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 20, 2026

Noah LaRoche, Miami Heat

Noah LaRoche is a new name to the scene. He's currently a consultant for the Miami Heat, but he was an assistant coach for the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2024-25 season. Although he wasn't a full-time coach for Miami this season, they credit him for a lot of their improvements on offense this season.

Miami played at one of the fastest paces in the NBA this year, which allowed them to have the second-highest scoring offense, despite not having a true offensive star. Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, and Andrew Wiggins are good players, but those don't scream the type of players to lead an elite offense.

Steve Hetzel, Brooklyn Nets

Steve Hetzel has been in and around the NBA since 2009, starting as a player development coach for the Detroit Pistons until 2013. He took over as the head coach for the Canton Charge, the G-League affiliate of the Cleveland Cavaliers, for the 2013-14 season, and has been an assistant in the NBA ever since for the Charlotte Hornets (2014-18), Orlando Magic (2018-21), Portland Trail Blazers (2021-24), and now the Brooklyn Nets.

He hasn't really been a part of many successful teams. He was on Terry Stotts' staff when they made the Western Conference Finals in 2019, but the Nets have not been good, even if Jordi Fernandez is starting to garner a lot of respect. He did interview for the New Orleans Pelicans job, and has been the acting head coach for the Nets on instances where Fernandez wasn't available.

These two don't seem to be leading candidates, especially compared to Royal Ivey, Micah Nori, and Jama Mahlalela.

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