Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle informed owner Mark Cuban that he won’t be returning as coach next season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
Carlisle had two years left on his contract.
The 61-year-old coach spent 13 seasons as the Mavericks coach and led the franchise to the NBA Finals in 2011.
“After a number of in-person conversations with Mark Cuban over the last week, today I informed him that I will not be returning as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks,” wrote Carlisle in a statement to ESPN. “This was solely my decision. My family and I have had an amazing 13-year experience working with great people in a great city. It has been honor to work alongside Mark [Cuban], Cynt [Cynthia Marshall], Donnie [Nelson], Fin [Michael Finley], Keith [Grant], Dirk [Nowitzki], JKidd [Jason Kidd] and every player and assistant coach I’ve had here. Dallas will always be home, but I am excited for the next chapter of my coaching career.”
“I truly love Rick Carlisle. He was not only a good coach but also a friend and a confidant. Our relationship was so much more than basketball. And I know that won’t ever change,” Cuban said in a statement to ESPN.
Carlisle suddenly becomes a prominent candidate in a head coaching marketplace that includes six other current openings, notes Wojnarowski.
Carlisle was the third longest tenured coach in the NBA and now the longest tenured coaches include the following:
- Gregg Popovich (SAS)
- Erik Spoelstra (MIA)
- Steve Kerr (GSW)
- Quin Snyder (UTA)
- Michael Malone (DEN)
Mavericks star Luka Doncic is a strong supporter of Mavericks assistant coach Jamahl Mosley.
“He’s got the things that are needed for a head coach,” Doncic said after Mosely’s one-game fill-in for a win over the Knicks this season. “He can be the head coach, for sure.”
The Mavericks, Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans, Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic and Portland Trail Blazers are now all in the market for a new head coach.
The coaching carousel will be in full circle this offseason.
