Orlando’s search ended with plans to hire San Antonio Spurs associate coach Sean Sweeney, a 41-year-old rising assistant. His move comes after the dismissal of Jamahl Mosley and as Sweeney’s Spurs push toward the 2026 NBA Finals, tied 3-3 with the defending ch
By the time Sean Sweeney’s Spurs step into a decisive Game 7, another job is already lining up across town—Orlando’s head-coach seat.
The Orlando Magic have concluded their search for a new head coach and are preparing to finalize the hire of San Antonio Spurs associate coach Sean Sweeney, a move reported by ESPN. The Magic plan for Sweeney to assume the role following the 2026 postseason.
Sweeney’s name is now tied to a franchise looking for more than near-misses. Orlando parted ways with Jamahl Mosley on May 4. Mosley was hired by the New Orleans Pelicans as head coach on May 18 and spent five seasons in Orlando. leading the team to a playoff berth in each of the past three seasons. Orlando, however, never advanced past the first round. The most recent setback came after the Magic held a 3-1 lead against the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs. only to allow Detroit to win three straight to take the series.
Before arriving in San Antonio, Sweeney built his path through several coaching stops. He broke into NBA coaching in 2011 as a video coordinator for the New Jersey Nets. From there, he earned promotion to his first assistant coaching job as the Nets moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn.
He then spent four seasons in Milwaukee as an assistant from 2014 to 2018. where he began to develop a reputation for development work after helping Giannis Antetokounmpo become an All-Star. After Milwaukee, Sweeney took another assistant position with the Detroit Pistons, coaching under Dwane Casey for three seasons.
Sweeney later went to Dallas to reconnect with then-head coach Jason Kidd, for whom he had been an assistant with the Bucks. Together, they reached the 2024 NBA Finals, where they lost in five games to the Boston Celtics.
At 41. Sweeney has coached under a wider set of names than most assistants collect in a career. including Avery Johnson and P.J. Carlesimo, along with Casey and Kidd. He has also operated within the San Antonio culture. absorbing guidance from Gregg Popovich. and that backdrop is part of what makes the timing of Orlando’s decision feel sharper—Sweeney’s professional formation is still being tested in real time in the postseason.
For now. he remains focused on the Spurs’ season. with the franchise in the middle of a pivotal series against the defending NBA champion-Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs are battling for a spot in the 2026 NBA Finals against the Eastern Conference champions, the New York Knicks. The Spurs-Thunder series is tied 3-3 as a deciding Game 7 tips off on Saturday, May 30 at 8 p.m. ET.
Those numbers matter because they decide whether Sweeney’s next step happens with a deep playoff run still in progress or after the Spurs’ season ends. Either way. the Magic’s direction is already clear: Orlando has moved on from Mosley. and it’s preparing to hand the keys to an assistant with a long track record in player development and major-game coaching experience.
In the NBA, staff changes rarely happen in a vacuum. Orlando’s timing—moving to finalize Sweeney’s hire while his Spurs are still fighting for the Finals—puts the spotlight on what comes next for a team that has reached the playoffs but repeatedly fallen short of getting past the first round.
Orlando Magic Sean Sweeney San Antonio Spurs Jamahl Mosley Dwane Casey Jason Kidd Gregg Popovich NBA coaching news 2026 playoffs Oklahoma City Thunder New York Knicks Giannis Antetokounmpo