Mavericks must stop ignoring the obvious fix to their gaping coaching hole

The 2024-25 season for the Dallas Mavericks was as hectic as it has ever been for any team in NBA history.

With the offseason quickly approaching, there are some serious holes the Mavericks need to fill before the 2025-26 season begins.

In the next few months, the Mavericks have multiple seats on the bench to fill in their coaching staff as Darrell Armstrong, Alex Jensen, and Marko Milic are no longer with the team heading into the opening season of the Cooper Flagg era.

Mavericks assistant coach Sean Sweeney is also one of the four remaining candidates for the Suns' head coaching job and has made a good impression. Sweeney was recently in Phoenix for an in-person interview for this job, according to John Gambadoro, a media member who covers the Phoenix Suns.

Frank Vogel is the obvious answer to stabilizing Mavs' coaching staff

Sweeney has been very well known for being Jason Kidd's right-hand man throughout their time together in Dallas. He has also played a crucial role in Dallas' team defense and the development of young center, Dereck Lively II. Losing Sweeney would be a huge blow, as he has been a key element of the coaching staff for years, but all hope is not lost when it comes to Dallas' assistant coaches heading elsewhere.

With the Mavericks already needing to fill multiple spots in their coaching staff, a person they should be looking at to fill one of those spots is current coaching consultant Frank Vogel.

Vogel, who won an NBA Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers and was also a two-time NBA All-Star Game head coach, would be a perfect fit for the Mavericks coaching staff.

According to Michael Harris, a contributor for Mavs Moneyball, as a head coach, Vogel's teams have had the best defensive rating in the NBA three times. Harris also added that outside of his years as the Orlando Magic's head coach and his last year with the Lakers, Vogel's team finished inside the top 10 each season.

With Nico Harrison being a firm believer in defense winning championships, Vogel becoming an assistant seems like a match made in heaven for the Mavericks, as they wouldn't have to hire from outside the organization.

Not only does the defensive strategy make sense for Vogel to join the staff, but he also has a lot of familiarity with people within the Mavericks organization. One of Vogel's assistants in his championship season with the Lakers was Coach Kidd. Vogel was also the head coach for Mavericks star Anthony Davis, and former player, now assistant, Jared Dudley.

Regardless of whether Sweeney gets hired by the Suns, the Mavericks should heavily consider promoting Vogel to a front-of-the-bench role. All of the connections make too much sense, and it wouldn't be a hard transition for either party. Promoting from within may be the best idea for one of these spots, as Vogel is familiar with several members of the coaching staff, and he'd be able to bring some wisdom to the bench in a crucial season.

With the exits of Armstrong, Jensen, Milic, and the potential exit of Sweeney, the Mavericks will have a very busy summer finding slots to fill in their staff.