With the Denver Nuggets filling the last vacant head coach position in the NBA with the hiring of Michael Malone, what’s next for the former front-runner and former Denver interim head coach Melvin Hunt?

According to ESPN senior writer Marc Stein, Hunt is closing in on an agreement to join the Dallas Mavericks under head coach Rick Carisle as his top assistant. Hunt is reportedly expected to finalize the deal very soon.

After the firing of Brian Shaw, Hunt took the helm as interim coach in Denver where he had a 10-13 record.

Hunt remained the Nuggets front-runner, by some accounts, while Denver interviewed other candidates.

At Malone’s introductory press conference, general manager Tim Connelly was praiseworthy of Hunt’s time as interim coach, but did not comment about his future.

Hunt also interviewed for the Nuggets top job before Brian Shaw was hired in 2013. Having been passed up twice now in Denver, it may be time for Hunt to continue making a name for himself elsewhere.


Mike Tolbert, a Mile High Sports intern and student at MSU-Denver contributed to this report