The latest NBA rumors suggest that Dawn Staley could coach Cooper Flagg-led Dallas Mavericks. Staley has been one of the most successful NCAA coaches in men’s and women’s divisions over the past decade. She’s built an unparalleled legacy in South Carolina.
According to The Athletic’s Christian Clark, one NBA executive listed Staley as a potential candidate for the Mavericks.
“One NBA executive told The Athletic that it wouldn’t be shocking if the Mavericks wanted to interview [Dawn] Staley,” Clark wrote on Friday.
Dawn Staley has interviewed for NBA teams before. In 2021, the Portland Trail Blazers interviewed the Gamecocks coach. The job eventually went to Chauncey Billups. Last year, Staley was among the candidates for the biggest coaching job on the market with the New York Knicks.
The Knicks passed on Staley for Mike Brown. In August 2025, Staley expressed that she would have accepted the role.
“I would have had to do it. Not just for me. For women. To break [that door] open,” Staley said on the “Post Moves” podcast hosted by Aliyah Boston and Candace Parker. “I would have had to. It’s the New York Knicks. I’m from Philly. But it’s the freaking New York Knicks.”
The Dallas Mavericks’ job isn’t as lucrative as the New York Knicks. Nevertheless, if chosen, Staley can have the chance to build a championship team from scratch with Cooper Flagg as the centerpiece. The Mavericks have been bold in their decision-making in the 2025-26 NBA season.
They fired general manager Nico Harrison in November after a 3-8 start. In February, Dallas traded Anthony Davis to the Washington Wizards. The Mavericks hired Masai Ujiri as president of basketball operations and alternate governor in the offseason, who fired coach Jason Kidd in his first major move on Tuesday.
Given the Mavericks’ desire to start fresh and build a long-term project, hiring Dawn Staley as the first female NBA head coach could very well be a realistic move.
NBA Rumors: Insider reports on Mavericks’ reason to fire Jason Kidd despite Cooper Flagg’s support
The Dallas Mavericks moved on from Jason Kidd despite his relationships with the brass and his players. According to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix, Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving supported Kidd. Meanwhile, he had an excellent rapport with Governor Patrick Dumont. However, a potential, inevitable “power struggle” forced Masai Ujiri to fire Kidd.
“More likely, the decision to can Kidd was about eliminating a potential power struggle,” Mannix reported on Thursday. “As Sports Illustrated has reported, Kidd wanted the top front office job. He’s also influential with ownership, specifically team governor Patrick Dumont, and has the support of Cooper Flagg, Dallas’s franchise star, and Kyrie Irving, its All-Star point guard. By moving on from Kidd, Ujiri may believe he is excising a potential problem before it becomes one.”
According to rumors, Kidd influenced several organizational decisions during his five-year tenure in Dallas. He also wanted to transition into an executive role before the Mavericks hired Ujiri, similar to Celtics’ Brad Stevens.
