DHJ Quick Take: Micah Nori Says He Hasn’t Heard From the Mavericks in Their Coaching Search
Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, one of the most sought-after candidates on the market, said he has had no contact with the Dallas Mavericks about their head coaching opening, calling the search still very early.
- What did Nori say about Dallas? Nori said he hasn’t heard anything from the Mavericks and that the team is just beginning its search.
- Where does the Mavericks’ search stand? Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz are running an open, comprehensive process with no set timeline after parting ways with Jason Kidd.
- Why does it matter? Nori has been one of the candidates most frequently linked to Dallas, and his comments suggest the front office’s wide net hasn’t yet reached him.
- What’s next? The Mavericks continue weighing veteran and first-time options ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft, now weeks away.
DALLAS — Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori, regarded as one of the most coveted names on this year’s head coaching market, said he has had no contact with the Dallas Mavericks about their vacancy.
Nori addressed the Mavericks’ opening along with other searches around the league during an appearance on SiriusXM’s NBA Radio on Tuesday.
“I mean, I haven’t heard anything really from Dallas,” Nori said.
He characterized the wider market as quiet, grouping Dallas with the Portland Trail Blazers and Chicago Bulls as teams still in the early phase of their searches.
“Conversations are very early stages,” Nori said. “Again, nothing from Dallas really. They’re just beginning their search. A few conversations here and there with Portland and Chicago. But nothing too serious yet. And hopefully, as they ramp up, maybe they do get a little bit more involved.”
An Open Search Led by Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz
The Mavericks have been working through the process since president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri announced last month that the team and head coach Jason Kidd had mutually agreed to part ways. Ujiri described the coaching change as the first step in a broader review and said the search for Kidd’s replacement would be comprehensive and open-ended.
General manager Mike Schmitz offered a similar read when he met with reporters at American Airlines Center, declining to set a timeline and saying the front office was weighing every option.
“Obviously we’re being very thorough in our approach and just continuing to kind of stick to our process there and evaluating everything,” Schmitz said. “So no official update on that.”
Asked whether Dallas was leaning toward an experienced head coach over a first-time hire, Schmitz said the team was “looking at everything.”
Why Micah Nori Has Been Linked to Dallas
Nori, 52, has spent the past five seasons as Chris Finch‘s top assistant in Minnesota, a stretch that has included two trips to the Western Conference Finals. He stepped in as acting head coach during the 2024 playoffs when Finch was sidelined by a knee injury, and he has interviewed for openings in previous cycles. Anthony Edwards has called him a “genius,” and Nikola Jokić once said Nori is “prepared for anything.”
There are organizational threads connecting him to Dallas as well. Nori began his coaching career with the Toronto Raptors, where he worked from 2009 to 2013, with the franchise Ujiri would later run, though the two were not in Toronto at the same time.
The Mavericks also hired team president Ethan Casson, who spent more than nine years with the Timberwolves before joining Dallas.
Where the Dallas Mavericks’ Search Stands
One name has already come off the board. Former Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney, now on the San Antonio Spurs coaching staff, is set to take over as head coach of the Orlando Magic once the NBA Finals conclude. Sweeney left Dallas for San Antonio after his contract expired last summer.
Given the level of interest Sweeney generated and how far in the process he already was by the time the Mavericks parted ways with Kidd, Dallas did not factor into Sweeney’s situation.
It remains to be seen who the Mavericks ultimately will hire to become the next head coach. Regardless, the timing carries some urgency. The 2026 NBA Draft is less than a month away, and free agency follows shortly after. Dallas holds the No. 9 overall pick and is building around 19-year-old Cooper Flagg, the reigning Rookie of the Year, as the centerpiece of its next era.
For now, Nori says the Mavericks have not entered that conversation.
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