At long last, Sean Sweeney will be moving into the AdventHealth Training Center and taking over as coach of the Orlando Magic.
The team hired him three weeks ago. But the Western Conference Finals and NBA Finals kept Sweeney from taking over his new office. There was work to do with the San Antonio Spurs, his old team.
Thursday afternoon, Sweeney will be introduced to the media in Orlando and officially take over as the team's coach. The team shared a photo of Sweeney in the AdventHealth Training Center on Wednesday evening:
👀👀 pic.twitter.com/YWp6TrWznT
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) June 17, 2026
To say the least, Sweeney will be hitting the ground running.
The NBA Draft is Tuesday and Wednesday, with the Magic at least likely to make some transactions to tweak the roster in addition to the 46th pick in Wednesday's second round. Free agency will follow shortly after, even though Orlando is constrained by the salary cap and the first apron from making major moves.
Sweeney is already getting to some work in the first few days that he is fully on the job. He is assembling his staff that will take care of his new team.
But it is clear the focus the Magic are pushing for once again.
Orlando is collecting a series of developmental coaches. That is what Sweeney is best known for from his various stops around the league. And the Magic seem to be banking on coaches who can help with internal development rather than coaches with deep head coaching experience.
It points to the Magic still believing this is a developing roster. It is yet another sign of how the Magic still feel they are in two worlds -- a team developing its future and feeling the pressure to win in the present.
Early hires point to developmental focus
Sean Sweeney has already reportedly gotten to work to build out his staff and accomplish his first task as head coach.
Mike Scotto of HoopsHype reported the first names who may join Sean Sweeney's staff. Greensboro Swarm head coach D.J. Bakker is a candidate to join the staff, according to Scotto. Meanwhile, Dallas Mavericks video coordinator Riley Crean and Long Island Nets head coach Mfon Udofia will reportedly be heading to Orlando.
Bakker won the G-League championship in 2026, defeating the Osceola Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. He was part of Dwane Casey's staff in Toronto. Sweeney worked with Casey when he was with Detroit after that sting with the Toronto Raptors. Bakker is known for his player development chops.
Udofia reached the conference finals with the Long Island Nets in his first two seasons in 2024 and 2025. The Nets finished 18-18 last year. He has spent most of his career in the G-League since retiring as a player.
Crean was a video coordinator while Sweeney was in Dallas.
There will surely be other coaches added to Sweeney's staff that will be announced in the coming weeks. But all of those coaches, despite two of their G-League histories and player development reputations, are lacking in NBA experience.
Jamahl Mosley had eight assistants on his staff. Many had similar backgrounds to the reported additions when they joined the team at the beginning of the Magic's rebuild.
There is still room to add more.
The Magic could still retain veteran assistant Joe Prunty, who worked with Sean Sweeney when the two were with the Milwaukee Bucks. Fans have their own wish list of familiar names that have not otherwise been connected to the Magic.
That is mere speculation. The staff is not complete yet. But what is being reported hints at what they view is most vital to this team's future: It is still about player development.
A foot in both worlds
Even president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman has discussed the Orlando Magic are still a team straddling two paths and two worlds.
The team is still incredibly young -- the eighth-youngest team in the league last year and third-youngest weighted by minutes -- and their best years and prime are still ahead of them.
That is one of the reasons the Magic are not panicking about their core and its struggles to get out of the first round. There is still a little bit of a runway ahead.
The NBA has become about player development at all stages of the process. The league is more focused on helping players develop and improve their skills throughout their careers.
It should be no surprise that the Magic are still emphasizing player development and loading their staff with coaches who can connect to and work with young players.
But that is not the only thing the Magic are after.
The team has given out massive extensions to several of these young players and pushed their chips in for Desmond Bane. The Magic are trying to win and win big. That requires more experience on the coaching staff.
This team wants to win this year. A first-round exit will not be accepted with this team's payroll and previous experience.
Sean Sweeney built his reputation as a strong player development coach for several star-level players. The San Antonio Spurs gave him a lot of credit for building an elite defense for them and their NBA Finals run last year.
Sweeney certainly still has something to prove as a first-time head coach taking over a team expecting to advance deeper into the Playoffs. He would certainly benefit from some experience on his bench. And that may still be yet to come.
But the early signs of this staff point to the Magic still putting an emphasis on player development in their coaches. They want to work on internal growth and improvement. That is the experience they have sought.
Orlando is not just after their future. The team wants to be good now. That was among the reasons it was surprising the Magic hired a first-time head coach. The Magic want to win now.
That is a lot for a staff full of first-time NBA coaches to accomplish.
Sweeney is surely not done with building his staff. The team has already built a staff with solid player development to help with that part of the team's vision. Now Orlando needs to solidify the part that will help the team be ready and successful in the Playoffs.
