Steve Kerr’s decision to return to the Warriors’ bench may have quietly changed the course of the NBA coaching landscape.ESPN’s Brian Windhorst revealed on the Hoop Collective podcast that Dusty May — the newly hired Dallas Mavericks head coach and reigning national championship-winning coach at Michigan — would have been on the Warriors’ coaching short list had Kerr chosen not to return.
“I think had Steve Kerr not re-signed in Golden State, Dusty May would have been on the Warriors’ short list,” Windhorst said. “I think he was on the short list a couple of other places, and he was clearly on the short list for the Mavericks.”
The revelation adds an interesting layer to a hiring that sent shockwaves through both college and professional basketball. May led Michigan to a 37-3 record and the 2026 NCAA National Championship before agreeing to become Dallas’ new head coach — becoming the first coach to leave for the NBA immediately after winning a national title since Kansas’ Larry Brown in 1988.
But according to Windhorst, May’s path to Dallas was far from...