Throughout his nine years as Magic president of basketball operations, Jeff Weltman has hired three head coaches.
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The process to land Spurs assistant coach Sean Sweeney, however, went far differently than past ones, according to Weltman.
“Honestly, I’ve never been through anything like this,” he told 96.9 The Game while speaking Tuesday for the first time since the Magic formally announced the hiring Monday.
That’s because Sweeney, 41, is in the middle of an NBA Finals run as associate head coach for San Antonio.
A league source first confirmed the finalizing of an agreement between Sweeney and Orlando last Friday — the night before San Antonio faced off against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, which the Spurs won.
Sweeney will remain with San Antonio through the Finals, the Magic said Monday. Game 1 between the Spurs and the New York Knicks is Wednesday night on ABC.
“I have to say, a huge thanks to the San Antonio organization because they really wanted to let Sean have every opportunity that he could to pursue a job that he really wanted,” Weltman said. “And so, they were really amenable.
“We had to work on off days and just make it work the best way that we could,” Weltman added. “It wasn’t optimum but we made it work. They were very cooperative cause they didn’t want to hold Sean back.”
Of course, Sweeney wasn’t the only candidate considered for the job. While Weltman declined Tuesday to delve in the details of who was interviewed for the opening, it was widely reported both Billy Donovan and Jeff Van Gundy were a part of the search.
It didn’t take long, however, for Sweeney to standout to the Magic, according to Weltman.
“We went through a process with a few great candidates and Sean was really impressive,” the Magic executive said. “Sean was really impressive in our meeting with him. We had a subsequent follow-up and kind of moved pretty quickly on it.
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“It wasn’t too much before we announced it or it got out that we had made our decision,” Weltman added.
He explained what made Sweeny so impressive as a candidate.
“The first thing that you notice with Sean is he has like a natural intensity about him,” Weltman said. “It’s not something that he has to try to put on or impress you with. It’s just there. He’s very locked in.
“His focus and his intensity I think underlies a lot of the way he delivers information (and) receives information,” he added.
Weltman dismissed Jamahl Mosley on May 4, one day after the Magic were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs for a third consecutive season. Mosley was hired by the New Orleans Pelicans two weeks later.
Under Mosley, Orlando’s defensive rating had risen inside the top three league-wide in back-to-back seasons, but it took a step back this year, falling to 13th in the regular season, according to NBA.com. Meanwhile, Orlando’s offensive rating was able to jump outside of the bottom 10 for the first time in over a decade, but it still sat 18th.
The Magic hope Sweeney can address both areas.
“It’s been written that he has a modern approach — I don’t know where that word came from but I do believe that to be the case,” Weltman said. “He’s a coach. He’s going to coach players on both ends of the floor, surround himself with really, bright creative minds and our guys and our team will get better.
“I think we will establish a program that allows us to continue to grow because, at the end of the day, we’re still a very young team,” Weltman added.
Although Sweeney has been credited for helping San Antonio’s defensive rating climb from 25th in 2024-25 to third-best this season, Weltman pushed back on the narrative that Sweeney is solely a defensive-minded coach.
“Sean’s been an offensive coach, too, so I don’t know how those tags get slapped on people,” Weltman said. “But a lot of it comes down to basic principles and teaching the game in a way that the players have to adhere to. And I think he’s had success doing that in the places that he’s been.
“Obviously, he’s never done it from the No. 1 seat. That’ll be a new experience for him,” Weltman added. “But again, when you put together the ingredients of those things that we talked about, plus his natural intensity, his integrity, his character and his work ethic — he is relentless — those ingredients are kind of what you hope for (that) could lead to being a real special coach.”
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Jason Beede can be reached at [email protected]