NBA – The Spurs’ sneaky recruit linked to the Giannis Antetokounmpo case?

Par Pierre-Andréa Fraile | Journaliste sportif

Beaten by the Rockets in the battle for Kevin Durant, the Spurs have nonetheless got their hands on one of their targets in recent hours. This one could, in time, allow them to seduce a certain… Giannis Antetokounmpo.

If Shams Charania is to be believed, they weren’t even among the teams who made the slightest approach in recent days. The Spurs therefore had little chance of recruiting Kevin Durant, who was eventually sent to the Rockets in exchange for a much-debated fee. On the other hand, they did get their hands on a recruit this Sunday, also reported by ESPN’s famous insider:

Shams Charania: Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Sean Sweeney has agreed to become associate head coach of the San Antonio Spurs under Mitch Johnson, Andy Miller of Klutch Sports tells ESPN. Sweeney has interviewed for several coaching jobs in recent years and is now leaving the Mavs for a bigger role.

Sean Sweeney, the Spurs’ missing piece to attract Giannis?

Following the official end of Gregg Popovich’s tenure on the bench, San Antonio had been looking for several weeks to reinforce Mitch Johnson’s staff. This has now been achieved with Sean Sweeney, whose good standing in the league means that this acquisition can be described as a great success. All the more so given the rather flattering portrait painted by Eric Salinas on X :

Eric Salinas: Great move by the Spurs. Sean played a huge role in Giannis’ development in Milwaukee (they’re still great friends). He has coached under Jason Kidd in Milwaukee, Brooklyn and Dallas and with Dwane Casey in Detroit. He’s an all-round coach who specializes in defensive work.

Able to bring his expertise to bear in a number of areas, the 41-year-old tactician could also be of service to his new franchise… on the transfer market. At least, that’s what Salinas suggested in the rest of his speech about him:

Eric Salinas: Integrating talent from other top franchises into the current staff will only strengthen the Spurs’ overall approach. And did I mention that he’s a very good friend of Giannis?

As a reminder, the Spurs were announced as one of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s main suitors this summer before the possibility of a departure dwindled. Now, if the Greek Freak should indeed claim a transfer from the Bucks in the coming months, Sweeney’s presence in San Antonio could therefore do their business.