Is a Nick Nurse, Masai Ujiri Reunion In The Cards In Dallas?

Everything is new in Dallas, as Masai Ujiri is aiming to put his indelible stamp on the Mavericks after taking over as the new team president. And with one of his top priorities being a new head coach, talk around the league has turned to an interesting and familiar option for Ujiri.

The Philadelphia 76ers are undergoing their own transformation in upper management, and it's unclear how the new president of basketball operations will deal with Nurse's status.

The former Toronto Raptors head coach has been unable to get Philly past the second round in his three years at the helm (they missed the playoffs altogether in 2024-25), and overall has a 6-11 postseason mark there with Embiid & Co.

But Ujiri and Nurse go way back. To 2018, in fact, when Masai gave Nurse his first head coaching job, to head up the Raptors. The pairing was rewarded with an NBA championship in 2019. Nurse then led Toronto to the second-best record in the NBA the following season—after Kawhi Leonard had left.

And while many feel that Ujiri will ask Philly for permission to talk to Nurse about coming to Dallas, at least one report says that it won't be very likely to happen.

The Philadelphia 76ers are not expected to grant the Mavericks permission to interview Nick Nurse, per @BrettSiegelNBA

“While he was with the Toronto Raptors, Ujiri was never afraid to target assistant coaches or first-time head coaches, as he did with Nick Nurse and Darko… pic.twitter.com/S1HEAj2Olb
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 29, 2026

Brett Siegel of Clutch Points reports that the Sixers are not inclined to give Dallas permission to speak with Nurse.

“While he was with the Toronto Raptors, Ujiri was never afraid to target assistant coaches or first-time head coaches, as he did with Nick Nurse and Darko Rajakovic," writes Siegel. "Speaking of Nurse, some have mentioned his name as an intriguing candidate in Dallas, but the Philadelphia 76ers are not prepared to grant the Mavs permission to speak with their head coach should they reach out, sources said.”

Of course, that was written before the Sixers named their new POBO. And you know how it is with new GMs/front office bosses—they often like to bring in their own staff and choose their own head coach.

So this story is not a closed book just yet.

Ujiri fired long-time Mavs head coach Jason Kidd earlier this month.