The Orlando Magic’s search for a head coach has come to an end, with reports claiming San Antonio Spurs‘ associate head coach Sean Sweeney will be taking the reins as Orlando’s head coach.
The Magic fired former head coach Jamahl Mosley after the team’s third consecutive first-round exit, blowing a 3-1 lead against the No. 1-seeded Detroit Pistons in the 2026 NBA Playoffs. Mosley’s position as head coach seemed uncertain after the regular season ended, with their underwhelming Playoff exit serving as the nail in his coffin.
Shams Charania of ESPN has confirmed Sweeney’s appointment and revealed that the new head coach will formally exit the Spurs after the end of their Playoff run.
“BREAKING: The Orlando Magic are finalizing the hire of San Antonio Spurs associate coach Sean Sweeney as the franchise’s new head coach, sources tell ESPN. Sweeney broke into NBA coaching in 2011 and now lands the Magic head job as a top rising candidate.”
Sweeney has been an integral part of Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson’s staff and played a huge role in their 62-20 season. The Spurs are currently tied 3-3 against the OKC Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, with a championship push still alive for the franchise.
Sweeney got his start in the NBA as a video coordinator for the then-New Jersey Nets, before being promoted to assistant coach on Jason Kidd’s staff on the Brooklyn Nets in 2013, following Kidd to the Milwaukee Bucks from 2014 to 2018. He’d then spend three seasons as an assistant coach on the Pistons under Dwayne Casey before reuniting with Kidd on the Dallas Mavericks in 2021. Sweeney left the Mavericks after their run to the 2024 NBA Finals, joining the Spurs in his current role.
Sweeney was expected to be in contention for the open head coaching positions on the Chicago Bulls and the Mavericks as well, but it seems the Magic have snapped him up after he was reportedly one of the most in-demand potential head coaches in the offseason. Sweeney is an innovative offensive thinker who’ll likely be able to reinvent the Magic’s stagnant offense, particularly helping Paolo Banchero develop into a more complete player.
Appointing a rookie head coach carries risk, but the Magic will be comfortable in giving Sweeney this role after his 13-year stint on different coaching staffs around the NBA. The Magic were reportedly close to finalizing a deal with former Bulls head coach Billy Donovan for this role, but those reports clearly seem unfounded.
Sweeney will have a win-now roster at his disposal with a former All-NBA forward like Banchero leading it. He’ll also have the likes of Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane, and Jalen Suggs to rely on as the core. The Magic likely will run it back with these four to see if a new head coach can extract more out of this still-young foundation.
Sweeney will have pressure on him to advance to the second round at a minimum, so this might be a tricky job, but it’s one the 41-year-old coach has waited a long time for.
