Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle jumps ship with 2 years left on contract

Big news has arrived for the Dallas Mavericks, as veteran head coach Rick Carlisle has informed the team that he won’t return next season. 

All of a sudden, the Dallas Mavericks are in need of a new head basketball coach. That’s because after 13 seasons running the show for the Western Conference side, Rick Carlisle has decided that he won’t be coming back next campaign.

According to ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Carlisle informed team owner Mark Cuban on Thursday that he indeed won’t be leading the team once the 2021-22 season arrives. Carlisle has recorded plenty of success with the organization, of course highlighted by winning the 2011 NBA Finals.

Rick Carlisle won’t be back for the Dallas Mavericks next season

Carlisle is expected to be in play for several high-profile coaching jobs should he wish to be behind the bench next season, rather than taking a year off. This news comes as a bit of a stunner, though.

While the Mavericks suffered an early postseason exit this year thanks to the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard, this team looks built to be major players out West for years to come. Luka Doncic is one of the most exciting players in the game, and he was even considered among the favorites to take home MVP honors before the regular season got started.

There’s loads of hype surrounding this team and it’s easy to understand why. Now, someone else will be given the chance to try and help Doncic take his game to the next level.

In his 1,033 games with Dallas, Carlisle went 555-478. He’ll best be remembered for that ’11 Finals win, when Dallas, powered by Dirk Nowitzki, took down LeBron James and the Miami Heat in a thrilling, heart-stopping series.