Rick Carlisle won't return as Mavericks head coach

"After a number of in-person conversations with (owner) Mark Cuban over the last week, today I informed him that I will not be returning as head coach of the Dallas Mavericks. This was solely my decision," Carlisle said in a statement sent to ESPN. "My family and I have had an amazing 13-year experience working with great people in a great city. 

"It has been an honor to work alongside Mark, Cynt, Donnie, Fin, Keith, Dirk, JKidd and every player and assistant coach I've had here. Dallas will always be home, but I am excited about the next chapter of my coaching career."

Carlisle famously guided the Mavericks to a victory over the Miami Heat to win the 2011 NBA Finals and will immediately become one of the top candidates for any of the league's head-coach openings. He accumulated a 555-478 record across his 13 years with Dallas. 

It's the latest twist for the Mavericks and follows a report from Tim MacMahon of ESPN that Cuban fired Nelson this past Sunday. Superstar Luka Doncic recently suggested he is going to sign a supermax extension worth an estimated $201.5 million with the Mavericks this summer but said on Thursday that Nelson's departure "was kind of tough to me." 

Doncic added: "I really like Donnie. I know him since I was a kid and he was the one that drafted me. It was tough for me seeing that, but I'm not the one making decisions there." 

Per MacMahon, Doncic has a replacement for Carlisle in mind.