Mavericks narrowly escape devastating coaching disaster right as Flagg era begins

Every offseason in the NBA today is filled with dramatic trades and signings. That will be no different this year for the Dallas Mavericks, who will be the team to welcome Duke freshman sensation Cooper Flagg in just over a month.

Flagg is a natural all-around player with great length to his game, and he's going to need the best coaches around to help his transition into the NBA. One giant concern was if Flagg was going to miss out on being coached by defensive-minded assistant coach, Sean Sweeney, in his rookie year. Sweeney was a strong candidate for the Phoenix Suns' head coaching gig, and that would've been a disaster for Flagg's rookie year to not be able to learn from one of the sharpest basketball minds in the association.

With the Suns narrowing down their head coaching search to two finalists, Johnnie Bryant and Jordan Ott, both from the Cleveland Cavaliers, this officially erases Sweeney from contending to land that position. This is a great opportunity for the Mavs to retain Sweeney, as losing him would be a significant blow to Flagg's rookie season. Sweeney may not get to take the next step in his career by becoming a head coach just yet, but this is going to be huge for the Mavericks, assuming he returns.

Sean Sweeney not heading to Phoenix is great news for Cooper Flagg

Sweeney has been one of the popular names in the coaching carousel for a few years now, as he helped the Mavs to the Western Conference Finals in 2022, along with the NBA Finals in 2024. As of a few weeks ago, it seemed like Sweeney wasn't into all of the rumors, and instead was fully bought in on staying in Dallas by attending pro days with other members of the staff. Even though rumors were flowing about his potential departure, he made sure to continue doing his best job as a Mavs assistant coach, showing his dedication.

As a defensive-minded coach, Sweeney would mean everything to Flagg's growth as a two-way star. His ability to anticipate passes and swat the basketball into the fourth row are natural skills that he has. The NBA is a lot faster than the college game, and with Flagg being an NBA-ready scorer, Sweeney and Jason Kidd have to help turn him into a two-way player.

Even though he's light years ahead with his NBA career, look at veteran Alex Caruso with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He's provided them with great versatility as well as a lengthy body to go at someone like three-time MVP Nikola Jokic despite being a wing. The Mavericks' frontcourt depth with Flagg, P.J. Washington, and Anthony Davis provides the length that Dallas needs to go against a team like Oklahoma City.

The person who should want Sweeney to stay the most is Nico Harrison. After all, Harrison's philosophy of "defense wins championships" speaks perfectly to the culture that Sweeney can build around with this roster next season. He's not only a great fit for Dallas, but he's a perfect fit for Flagg, developing into the defensive star that we all know he can become, as Sweeney is not only a great defensive mind but also a great mentor for the young players he coaches.