Two weeks after the Dallas Mavericks hired Masai Ujiri as the new president and alternate governor of the franchise, the organization decided to part ways with head coach Jason Kidd after five seasons.
So what’s next for the Mavericks in their search for a new person to lead the way? Masai Ujiri said he hasn’t reached out to new candidates since Kidd’s firing, adding it would be “disrespectful” to the former head coach to do so at this time.
However, the Mavericks will have to get going on finding a head coach sooner rather than later. There are plenty of candidates from overseas, colleges, as well as some who already have NBA experience.
From women’s college basketball coach Dawn Staley to San Antonio Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney, The Athletic’s Christian Clark named Duke men’s basketball coach Jon Scheyer as a potential prospect for the role.
Duke’s Jon Scheyer Labeled as Prospect for Mavericks Vacant Head Coaching Position
“Three of the Mavericks’ best players – Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving, and Dereck Lively II – are Duke alums,” Clark wrote. “What are the chances that Dallas could persuade Duke’s coach to come on board?”
Jon Scheyer’s Duke career began in 2006 as a player, helping lead the Blue Devils to an NCAA National Championship in 2010 and earning Second-Team All-American honors in the same year.
The now 38-year-old was named the prestigious school’s next head coach after the legendary Mike Krzyzewski retired from the role in 2022, following 42 seasons as head coach.
Scheyer has done an impressive job replacing Krzyzewski, leading the Blue Devils to a 124-25 record, three ACC Tournament titles, and a Final Four bid in 2025 over his four seasons as head coach.
Along with Cooper Flagg and Dereck Lively II, Jon Scheyer was the head coach during Kyle Filipowski, Jared McCain, and Kon Knueppel’s college hoops careers.
It would be difficult to get Jon Scheyer to leave the program he’s been apart of for 17 collective seasons as a coach and player. Before the start of the 2025-26 college basketball season, Scheyer signed a multi-year contract extension with Duke that goes through the 2030-31 season.
Jon Scheyer’s NBA Ties
After going undrafted in 2010, Jon Scheyer signed with the Miami Heat’s Summer League roster. He would suffer a torn retina and a detached optic nerve that put a hold to his playing career.
As a player, Scheyer had stints with the NBA D-League’s (now G League) Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He would then go overseas to play for pro clubs Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Super League and Gran Canaria of Spain’s Liga ACB. He officially retired as a player in 2013.
After his playing career drew to a close in 2013, Scheyer was hired by Duke as a special assistant in 2013-14. He would climb the ranks at the school, being promoted to assistant coach from 2014 to 2018, and again to associate head coach from 2018 to 2022, before being named the head coach of Duke.
If Jon Scheyer ultimately decides to leave the NCAA, it would be his first experience coaching in the NBA.
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