New NBA Rumors on Magic's Potential Front-Runner for HC Job to Replace Jamahl Mosley
The Orlando Magic have reportedly become seriously interested in hiring San Antonio Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney as the team's next head coach.
NBA insiders Jake Fischer and Marc Stein reported Friday that the Magic had planned to travel to San Antonio during the Western Conference Finals in order to have a face-to-face meeting with Sweeney.
"They're very interested," a league coaching source told Fischer and Stein.
Orlando fired former head coach Jamahl Mosley after the team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Sweeney has worked in the NBA since 2011 and has served as an assistant coach with several organizations since 2013. This includes the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons, Dallas Mavericks and Spurs.
While Sweeney has only spent one season in San Antonio, his impact on the team's defense has already been felt.
San Antonio's defensive rating ranked No. 25 among all squads in the year prior to his arrival before ranking No. 3 in the league this season (via NBA.com).
Sweeney also served as an assistant with the Mavericks during their run to the 2024 NBA Finals, as their 110.7 defensive rating in the postseason was the fifth-best mark in the association.
Expectations were high for the Magic heading into their 2025-26 campaign following the offseason acquisition of Desmond Bane, but they were hit hard by injuries and weren't able to climb up the Eastern Conference standings.
Orlando advanced to the playoffs as the No. 8 seed and took a 3-1 series lead over the No. 1 Detroit Pistons, but were eliminated after losing three consecutive games.
