Jason Kidd‘s departure from the Dallas Mavericks was, in hindsight, not much of a surprise. The 2025-26 season was not a good one, and the debate that has overshadowed the Mavericks organization for the last year, Luka Dončić‘s trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, seems to now surround Kidd’s involvement in that decision. How much he is to blame for the trade, and how much of the ire of the Mavs’ fan base he deserves to receive, remains to be seen.
But now, he is gone, and the search for the new head coach continues. The best candidate, going by sportsbooks’ odds and prediction markets, is Sean Sweeney. It’s not locked in yet, of course, but we have seen prediction market trades putting the odds at 64%, so if those odds are to be believed, it’s more likely than not that he is the man tasked with turning around the franchise’s fortunes.
Sean Sweeney Is Respected for His Time in Dallas
Will he be a good fit? Well, there are numerous plus points. The fact that he was part of Kidd’s staff during the deep runs in the Playoffs in 2022 and 2024 should stand him in good stead, as does the fact that his new gig, as associate head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, looks to be highly successful.
The Spurs are still in with a shot at the NBA Championship, though Oklahoma City remains the favorite in the NBA betting odds, but the Spurs have a legitimate outlook to win it all.
Nonetheless, Sweeney’s profile as a developmental coach is another big plus point. For all the gloom that shrouded last season, the Mavs have the current Rookie of the Year on the books, and some interesting potential options in a 2026 NBA Draft that is stacked with talent.
Mavericks president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri and general manager Mike Schmitz have been hired to build the new era around 19-year-old Cooper Flagg, but it remains to be seen who they will choose to be the next head coach after moving on from Jason Kidd.
Lack of Head Coaching Experience May Stand Against Him
On the flip side, there is obviously going to be risk in appointing a man who has never been an NBA head coach. Mavs fans don’t expect instant success, but they will want to see evidence that this rebuild has a logical path and a clear endpoint.
Sweeney is not wholly responsible for the good times of the past, nor the bad, but it is understandable that fans might want a clean break if this is to be a fresh rebuild. However, there is a strong basis regarding why he’s such a strong candidate, drawing interest from teams like the Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic.
We do, of course, have to wait to see what happens. Other interesting names, such as Frank Vogel and Todd Golden, are available. But for now, Sweeney seems to be the name backed by sportsbooks to get the job. Whether he gets it, and whether he is the right man, is another matter.
