Mavericks could be facing devastating coaching departure just as Cooper Flagg era begins

It's now been over a week since the Dallas Mavericks' future direction completely changed paths after winning the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes in last Monday's NBA Draft Lottery. While it's still over a month away until the draft, the Mavericks appear to be fully locked into Flagg and the future of the team, with Flagg at the core of the franchise.

Flagg won't just become the instant face of the franchise the second he is drafted, but Jason Kidd appears to be fully convinced Flagg can unlock multiple creative lineup combinations. With Flagg having a creative offense game and being the perfect lockdown defender at the forward position, he can virtually be a plug-and-play guy in just about any lineup.

Flagg's defense is something the Mavericks have yet to see in a star player, and with his two-way upside, he could be the perfect player to build around under Nico Harrison's vision. Fans have already begun to ponder what the future of Dallas will look like with Flagg at the center, but the Mavericks will need to continue to build a contending squad before thinking too much about Flagg's future.

While Flagg's addition makes Dallas a scary team for the future, the Mavericks must address multiple needs on the roster, and it might start on the bench with a new assistant coach.

Top Mavericks assistant is drawing serious interest from Suns

It's no secret that Mavericks assistant coach Sean Sweeney has been an important part of Dallas since his hire in 2021. Following Jason Kidd in previous coaching stops like Milwaukee and Brooklyn, Sweeney has been an important piece of Kidd's coaching career and has become a fan favorite amongst Maverick fans.

While Sweeney has been in constant head coaching interviews throughout his career as a Maverick, this season may finally be the year Sweeney finds himself operating as the number one. With the Phoenix Suns in desperate need of a stable head coach, Sweeney has advanced to stage two for the Suns coaching job.

Sweeney has long been known as the Mavericks' defensive coordinator off the bench, and with him possibly leaving to coach his own squad in Phoenix, Sweeney's patented defense could be a hard shoe to fill.

Since trading away Luka Doncic, Harrison has preached to the Dallas media and the fans that defense wins championships, which is why Sweeney's departure would be a tough blow to Harrison's vision. With Flagg soon joining Dallas, he will no doubt bolster Dallas' defensive juggernaut of a frontcourt, but with Sweeney possibly leaving, the Mavericks could lose some defensive juice.

Phoenix is still in advanced talks with multiple other coaching candidates, including longtime Miami Heat assistant coach Chris Quinn. Similarly to Sweeney, Quinn has been in head coaching conversations around the league for a long time, but this year may finally be the season he gets his shot at manning his squad.

It's unclear what direction Phoenix wants to head in with a confusing offseason ahead of them, but assuming Sweeney wins the job, he will have a tall task ahead of him to bring the Suns back to relevance.

Losing Sweeney would no doubt be a blow to the Mavericks, but also to Kidd, considering he has been at his hip for most of his head coaching career. Mavs assistant coach Jared Dudley would likely be a candidate to replace Sweeney if he leaves as the number two in power on the bench, but Kidd has yet to make any promotions.