The final chapter in what has become a trilogy of Sean Sweeney articles here at Mavs Moneyball, has finally arrived. The Dallas Mavericks assistant coach had been progressing through the interview process for the Phoenix Suns head coaching position as recently as this past weekend. Sweeney was vying for a position that has been something of a revolving door of late, with the Suns looking for their third new face in as many years for the start of next season. There was a very real possibility Sweeney would get the nod as he made it to the formal interview stage, but it appears that is no longer the case.
What was a list of eight candidates just days ago is now down to two. According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Sweeney is not one of them.
The Phoenix Suns have narrowed their head coaching search to two finalists from the Cleveland Cavaliers, associate coach Johnnie Bryant and assistant Jordan Ott, sources tell ESPN. Both will meet with Suns owner Mat Ishbia in Michigan ahead of a hiring as soon as later this week. pic.twitter.com/6JSG8EiuaU
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 2, 2025
Sweeney is certainly deserving of a head coaching gig and it’s difficult to imagine he won’t get one sometime soon. His start in the NBA came as video coordinator for the then-New Jersey Nets, before moving to an assistant coaching role under none other than current Mavericks coach Jason Kidd. Kidd then moved to Milwaukee to be head coach of the Bucks, taking Sweeney with him to man the sidelines together for four seasons. After Kidd was fired, Sweeney found himself as an assistant in Detroit under Dwane Casey, another familiar name to Mavericks fans. Casey was an assistant under Rick Carlisle and helped Dallas to their first and only championship back in 2011.
Sweeney has been putting in work for years and has significant experience with some of the best minds in basketball on the highest stages of the game. Furthermore, interest in him taking on head coaching jobs is becoming an off-season regularity at this point. While he will almost certainly move on one day, it does not appear that day is today. Missing out on the chance to helm his own team is disappointing, but having him remain on the sidelines in Big D allows the Mavs to maintain coaching continuity while retaining a key cog in their staff.
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