Friday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Orlando Magic are hiring Sean Sweeney as their next head coach. He replaces Jamahl Mosley after five years at the helm. Sweeney will take his new post when the San Antonio Spurs' season ends. He's currently their associate head coach. He's brilliant on the defensive side of the ball. He is also close with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The two worked together while Sweeney was an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks on Jason Kidd's staff. For four years, starting in Antetokounmpo's second season in the NBA, Sweeney helped sharpen the future two-time MVP's skills and evolve into a figure who would later become the Defensive Player of the Year. They also worked on mental preparation and honing a killer instinct on the court.
"I love that dude. My relationship with Sweeney -- it's more than basketball. He's one of my best friends," Antetokounmpo told James Edwards III of The Athletic in 2018. "The killer mentality — he definitely helped me with that. It definitely comes from me and my family and the way I grew up, but having Coach Sweeney for those years, he really helped me as a player and as a person off the court."
The Magic are a team to monitor in the Giannis sweepstakes
Naturally, given the close relationship between Orlando's new bench boss and the 10-time All-Star, the Magic become a team to keep an eye on as teams pursue Antetokounmpo.
"This postseason, I think, has completely reframed the trade discussions for Giannis because of how good Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs are."@ramonashelburne thinks there may be more teams interested in Giannis after watching Wemby in the playoffs 👀
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 29, 2026
(via @RichEisenShow) pic.twitter.com/IiXju4FP6H
"I would look at a team like Orlando," conveyed Ramona Shelburne, a senior writer for ESPN, in an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show on Friday. "They're close, they made a move already, they're gonna get a new coach, [and] they have some good, young pieces."
As previously explored, the Magic could offer a package centered around Franz Wagner or Paolo Banchero. Unlike the Boston Celtics, they don't need to find a third team to satisfy the Bucks' wish list to part with their franchise star. Instead, Orlando can offer the young, blue-chip talent and draft capital that Milwaukee desires.
There are multiple ways to interpret the latest intel surrounding whether the Celtics are working toward a three-team trade for Antetokounmpo. For the Magic, the question everyone's now trying to decipher is whether the organization wants to reunite Sweeney with a top-tier talent he once worked closely with, or help Wagner and Banchero reach that rung.
The New York Knicks produced one of the most impressive 10-game stretches ever seen, especially in a playoff setting. It allowed them to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals. They've earned plenty of rest while waiting for the slugfest between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder to conclude. However, despite the Knicks' dominance this postseason, moving forward, the Eastern Conference still seems up for grabs.
That could compel Orlando to act boldly for the second straight summer. Last offseason, the franchise traded four unprotected first-round picks and one first-round pick swap for Desmond Bane. Now, the organization must assess whether to break up its burgeoning young tandem. After a disappointing campaign, the Magic had to fight their way out of the play-in tournament to reach the playoffs. They then suffered a first-round exit at the hands of the Detroit Pistons. Perhaps that emboldens them to reconfigure their core quartet.
They could also look at Sweeney's work with stars like Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama, and want to see what their new head coach can do for Banchero and Wagner. One path is tempting. The other is less risky, but might deliver less satisfactory results. With the Bucks expected to take action by the NBA Draft in late June, it won't be long before the Magic reveal their choice.
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