Orlando Magic Wiretap

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors were both prominent suitors for Giannis Antetokounmpo in February ahead of the trade deadline when the Milwaukee Bucks briefly opened trade discussions, but neither team has factored into recent talks, sources tell Jake Fischer.

The Orlando Magic have also not engaged in meaningful recent dialogue with the Bucks, despite notable ties to Antetokounmpo. Magic senior advisor John Hammond and president of basketball Jeff Weltman originally drafted Antetokounmpo during their time with Milwaukee.

Incoming Magic head coach Sean Sweeney, hired away from the San Antonio Spurs, also worked closely with Antetokounmpo as a Bucks assistant for four seasons early in his career.

The Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers have emerged as the two most active teams in trade discussions to this point. The Heat are the team with the strongest mutual interest as there is skepticism that Antetokounmpo would commit to the Blazers long-term. The Boston Celtics remain on the periphery as a potential entrant into the conversation.

Antetokounmpo is expected to be traded by draft night on Tuesday, June 23rd.

The Orlando Magic have hired Sean Sweeney as head coach. Sweeney will finish the season as associate head coach of the San Antonio Spurs. 

The Magic also considered veteran head coaches Billy Donovan and Jeff Van Gunfy before moving forward with Sweeney who will be in his first head coaching job. 

The Magic fired Jahmal Mosley at the end of their season. 

The Orlando Magic have strong interest in Sean Sweeney for their head coaching vacancy. Sweeney is in his first season as the lead assistant coach under Mitch Johnson with the San Antonio Spurs. Sweeney previously was the top assistant coach at multiple stops with Jason Kidd.

"They're very interested," said one league coaching source.

The Magic parted ways with Jahmal Mosley this offseason following their seven-game first round exit to the Detroit Pistons.

Billy Donovan and Jeff Van Gundy are the other two known candidates for the job.

Magic officials planned to meet with Sweeney during the Western Conference Finals.

The Orlando Magic continue to have interest in hiring San Antonio Spurs assistant Sean Sweeney as the team's next head coach, sources told Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

The Magic's search thus far has focused on experienced candidates in Billy Donovan and Jeff Van Gundy.

It was also reported that the Magic had interest in hiring Jason Kidd in 2021. 

Sweeney is also considered a candidate for the Bulls job. 

The Orlando Magic had "serious interest" in hiring Jason Kidd as the team's head coach in 2021, sources told Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

The Magic instead hired Jamahl Mosley over Kidd. Mosley was recently hired by the Pelicans.

Kidd and the Mavs parted ways on Tuesday.

The Magic are reportedly interested in Billy Donovan, Jeff Van Gundy, and Sean Sweeney as their next head coach.

Sean Sweeney has emerged as a head coaching candidate for both the Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic. Sweeney is currently the lead assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs after previously holding the same role with the Dallas Mavericks. 

Sweeney is credited for being the architect of a Spurs' defense anchored by the generational talent of Victor Wembanyama. 

Sweeney was also an assistant coach under Jason Kidd with the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks.

Sweeney has had a number of head coaching interviews in past offseasons.

The Orlando Magic are beginning to advance their search for a new head coach to replace Jahmal Mosley, sources tell Jake Fischer.

While no clear favorite has emerged, Billy Donovan is believed to have an excellent chance of being hired by the Magic. Donovan has held conversations with Jeff Weltman and will have an in-person meeting in the coming days.

Jeff Van Gundy is also on the radar of the Magic as they search for a head coach with experience. Van Gundy has spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach under Tyronn Lue with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Sean Sweeney is another candidate who will get an interview with the Magic. Sweeney is currently the top assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs under Mitch Johnson. Sweeney doesn't have previous head coaching experience, but he is one of the top first-time candidates on the market. Sweeney is also a candidate for the Chicago Bulls' head coaching job.

Tom Thibodeau has interest in returning to coaching, but he not involved in the Magic search.

Saturday night's Game 7 between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics averaged 10.99 million viewers on NBC.

It is the largest audience for a first-round game since Game 5 of Jazz-Kings in 1999.

Viewership peaked at 12.6 million viewers.

Sunday's Game 7 between the Cavs and Raptors averaged 7.0 million viewers. Game 7 between the Magic and Pistons earlier in the day averaged 5.7 million viewers on ABC.

NBC's 15 playoff games averaged 5.5 million viewers, up 61% from last year. 

Orlando Magic president Jeff Weltman said Monday the franchise has no plans to dismantle its roster following a first-round playoff collapse against the Detroit Pistons, pointing to the team's performance before Franz Wagner's injury as evidence the core remains capable of competing.

"When healthy, we were top five [on] defense and top 10 [on] offense," Weltman said. "I don't want to tear this thing down and dismantle it because of the way it ended and certainly one half."

Wagner, limited to 34 games during the regular season, suffered a strained right calf in Game 4 against the Pistons. Orlando lost all three remaining games after his exit, including surrendering a 24-point third-quarter lead in Game 6.

"Had we stayed healthy, I'd like to imagine where we would have gone in this series and beyond," Weltman said. "I don't see any reason why we couldn't have competed against anyone else in the East if we could compete against the No. 1 team like that."

Weltman acknowledged the collapse will shape how the organization evaluates the offseason but stressed that injuries, not roster construction, drove the outcome.

"It's very frustrating," Weltman said. "But it's also very encouraging because whenever they are together, they have been elite."

Orlando traded four unprotected first-round picks, a swap, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony last offseason to acquire Desmond Bane. Weltman's comments suggest that investment remains the foundation of the team's path forward.

The Magic are searching for a new head coach to replace Jamahl Mosley. 

The Orlando Magic have fired head coach Jamahl Mosley. Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman will lead the search for a new head coach. Weltman signed an extension this season to continue to run Orlando's front office.

Mosley went 189-221 in five regular seasons as the Magic's head coach. He led Orlando to three consecutive playoff berths, but the team never advanced out of the first round.

Some expected the team to move on from Mosley late in the regular season, as the injury-hit Magic underachieved. Mosley rallied the team to win the eighth seed in the Play-In Tournament. Orlando then took a 3-1 lead over the top-seed Detroit Pistons, but lost three straight games to fall in the first round for the third consecutive season.

Mosley has been previously mentioned as a possible candidate for the New Orleans Pelicans' head coaching vacancy.