Mavericks coach just shut down the lingering rumor plaguing his future in Dallas

Seemingly overnight, the Dallas Mavericks became one of the most interesting NBA teams to watch for the next few years, miraculously winning the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes in last week's NBA Draft Lottery. Within four months, the Mavericks went from trading away their franchise superstar in Luka Doncic to winning the first overall pick in a loaded draft class.

Flagg's addition to Dallas will not only gear up the team for a bright future, but the Mavericks just got a win-now addition who can impact both ends of the floor. While Flagg's ability to get to the rim with athleticism and explosiveness is attractive, his most impactful area is on the defensive end.

Flagg's length combined with his strong sense to rotate and be a help-side defender make him a day-one starter for the Mavericks. Flagg's defensive intensity is no doubt impressive, but without a great defensive-minded assistant coach like Sean Sweeney, Flagg's potential as a rookie or even a second-year pro could be missed.

Sweeney looks to be fully locked in with Mavs despite coaching rumors

For multiple offseasons now, Sweeney has been one of the most popular assistant coaching names in the carousel to potentially become a head coach for a franchise. Sweeney has plenty of experience on top of his defensive-minded pedigree that has led the Mavericks to a Western Conference Finals berth in 2022, and he was three wins away from a championship with Dallas in 2024.

With multiple head coaching jobs opening up this summer, Sweeney's name has been tossed around amongst fans as a potential future head coach. While the Phoenix Suns have a clouded future ahead of them, Sweeney has been in advanced job interviews as a potential candidate to secure the head coaching spot in Phoenix.

After advancing to stage two of job interviews with the Suns, Dallas fans were gearing up for the inevitable announcement that Sweeney would be hired as the full-time head coach. While it appears that job interviews are still taking place, Sweeney seems to still be fully bought into the Mavericks after being seen at the Klutch Sports Pro Day in Los Angeles alongside Jared Dudley and Nico Harrison (2:03 mark).

Throughout the entirety of the video, players like Anthony Davis and Jalen Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks can be seen, as well as general managers and coaches of other teams. Additionally, Jason Kidd and Dereck Lively II are seen sitting with other Dallas players and coaches.

While it's not uncommon to see many players and coaches gathering to watch a pro day, seeing Sweeney sitting alongside other members of Dallas is a promising sign that he could return to the bench next season. It's unclear what decisions the Suns will make with their head coaching vacancy, and it's still a real possibility Sweeney could accept the head coaching position, but seeing him locked in with the Mavericks is an encouraging signal that he could be back next season.

Assuming Sweeney is back on the Dallas bench next season, many of this year's top rookies were seen at the Klutch Pro Day working out as coaches and scouts analyzed their game. One player the Mavericks may target in the late first round could be Walter Clayton Jr. from Florida, who is also seen working on his game at the pro day.

Clayton Jr. is no doubt an older prospect after leaving college to enter his name in the draft at the age of 22, but his championship pedigree makes him an intriguing player. While it's unclear what moves Dallas will make at the draft and in the offseason, keeping Sweeney should be at the top of the list for Harrison.