Possible Mavericks Coaching Candidate Provides Surprising Update On Search

The Dallas Mavericks are still searching for their next head coach after dismissing Jason Kidd a few weeks ago. Ideally, Masai Ujiri would like to have the coach in place before the NBA Draft so they can have collaboration in who the team selects, but there haven't been many rumblings on who that will be.

One person who people thought would be a candidate is Micah Nori, who is currently an assistant with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Mavericks hired Ethan Casson as a president of the organization, who would report directly to CEO Rick Welts. Casson worked with the Timberwolves for over 9 years before coming to the Mavericks, so there is familiarity there.

Nori was also an assistant for the Toronto Raptors from 2009 to 2013, where he briefly crossed paths with Ujiri, who had been their Director of Global Scouting and Assistant General Manager until he left for the Denver Nuggets in 2010. However, it doesn't seem like the Mavericks have shown too much interest in Nori thus far.

Nori appeared on SiriusXM's Radio Show on Tuesday, where he provided an update on openings around the NBA, including the Mavericks.

"I mean, I haven't heard anything really from Dallas," Nori said. "Had, you know, just some feelers out with Chicago. They're very, very early in their stage. And then Portland, same thing, just some, you know, some conversations here and there. Nothing too serious. These guys are all taking their time and doing their due diligence as they can. But we'll see. Like I say, I have a great, fantastic job with Minnesota, and I think that all these things come about because of the success that we've had there. And I think I've been around for so daggone long, but it's been, it's okay."

Jan 29, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Mavericks Being Quiet on Head Coaching Search

The candidates that people thought the Mavericks would've been interested in haven't been the case so far. They haven't discussed much with Nori, and Sean Sweeney has accepted the Orlando Magic job. Either of those would've been natural fits and would have followed Ujiri's past of hiring assistant coaches.

Ujiri could still look to hire an assistant, and there are plenty of qualified assistants out there: Johnnie Bryant, Sam Cassell, Jared Dudley, etc. There are also some bigger and more established names, such as Billy Donovan or Frank Vogel, but there's no guarantee that Ujiri is interested in them.

The Mavericks would like to have someone in place before the NBA Draft, which is less than three weeks away.

Add us as a preferred source on Google