After retiring as a player in 1988, Triano became head coach at his alma mater, Simon Fraser. He attempted to recruit high school star
Steve Nash and later served as his mentor. In 1995, when the nearby
Vancouver Grizzlies debuted, he became team director of community relations and worked as the colour commentator for their radio broadcasts. In 1998, Triano became the head coach of the Canadian men's national basketball team. He coached the Nash-led team to a 5–2 record and a seventh-place finish in the
2000 Sydney Olympics, losing to
France by five points in the quarter-finals. Two years later, he became an assistant coach for the
Toronto Raptors, becoming the second Canadian-born coach in the NBA. He served under
Lenny Wilkens,
Kevin O'Neill, and
Sam Mitchell. In 2004, Triano was fired as national team head coach, and replaced by
Leo Rautins the following year. In 2008, Triano was named an assistant coach for
United States national team. On February 13, 2008, Triano served as head coach of the Toronto Raptors in their 109–91 victory over the
New Jersey Nets, in place of head coach Sam Mitchell, who was absent from the team as a result of the death of his father-in-law, making history as the first Canadian to serve as head coach for a regular-season NBA game. On December 3, 2008, Triano was named interim head coach of the Raptors after Mitchell was relieved of his coaching duties. He became the
first Canadian-born head coach in
NBA history and first Canadian head coach in NBA history. Triano guided the Raptors to a 25–40 mark. On May 12, 2009, Triano was given a three-year deal to remain head coach of the Raptors. In Triano's first full season as the Raptors head coach in the
2009–10 season, Toronto missed making the playoffs by one game to the
Chicago Bulls, going 2–5 in their final 7 games. The team finished 40–42. In the
2010–11 season, without
All-Star Chris Bosh on the roster, Triano led the Raptors to a dismal 22–60 record. On June 1, 2011, the Raptors announced they would not be picking up the option on Triano's contract, but gave him another position within the organization, the vice-president of pro scouting. On August 17, 2012, Triano was named as an assistant coach for the
Portland Trail Blazers. The following week, Triano was also named head coach of
Canada's national team for the second time in his career. On July 27, 2016, Triano was hired by the
Phoenix Suns as associate head coach. On October 22, 2017, after a 0–3 start to the season, including one of the worst losses in Suns history and the worst loss to open up a regular season in league history, Triano was promoted to interim head coach of the Suns after the firing of
Earl Watson. In his first game as head coach since 2011, Triano guided the team, which had suffered 40-plus-point losses earlier in the year, to leads as much as 22 points before winning 117–115 on October 23, against the
Sacramento Kings for their first win of the season. On December 26, 2017, Triano became the first foreign-born head coach in NBA history to win 100 games in the league with a 99–97 win over the
Memphis Grizzlies. However, the Suns finished the season with a 21–58 record under his tenure, and he did not return as head coach after that season. On July 2, 2018, Triano was hired by the
Charlotte Hornets as an assistant coach. On August 12, 2022, Triano was hired by the
Sacramento Kings as an assistant coach. He was promoted to associate head coach after the
2023–24 season, following the departure of
Jordi Fernández, who was hired as head coach of the
Brooklyn Nets. On May 3, 2025, Triano was fired as the associate head coach of the Kings. On June 14, 2025, Triano was added to the
Dallas Mavericks' coaching staff under head coach
Jason Kidd. ==Head coaching record==