Ex-Pelicans Head Coach Willie Green Rumored to Be Candidate for New NBA Opening

The NBA playoffs are in full swing, but many teams are in their offseason mode and look to make moves to ensure they can contend in the future. The New Orleans Pelicans' coaching search is ramping up, with reports that the team is narrowing its search to a handful of candidates.

One of those candidates is former Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley, with whom the Magic recently parted ways after their first-round loss to the Detroit Pistons. A new rumor suggests the Magic are potentially eyeing a former Pelicans coach to replace Mosley.

ClutchPoints reporter Brett Siegel recently revealed that ex-Pelicans head coach Willie Green is a possible option for the Magic. Along with Green, long-time NBA assistant Sam Cassell and former Milwaukee Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer are mentioned as candidates by Siegel in his report.

Willie Green Could Be a Candidate for Magic Head Coaching Vacancy per Latest Report

Green and the Magic have a history, with the former NBA player suiting up for Orlando during the 2014-2015 NBA season.

The Pelicans fired Green at the beginning of the season after a 2-10 start and replaced him with interim head coach James Borrego. Green amassed a 150-190 record as a head coach over 4+ years in New Orleans.

Before his stint with the Pelicans, Green was a long-time assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns. He won two championships on the Warriors bench under head coach Steve Kerr.

Green led the Pelicans to two playoff appearances during his tenure, but the team never advanced past the first round in either year. Despite having a talented roster over the years that included Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy III, and others, the team massively underachieved, with injuries and questionable coaching decisions at the forefront of many of its struggles.

There was a reported tiff between him and forward Brandon Ingram during the first round of the playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder a couple of seasons ago. The disagreement arose because Ingram reportedly was upset with the coaching staff about not getting enough touches in the series. New Orleans was swept 4-0 in that series.

Since his dismissal as head coach, Green has remained an active member of the New Orleans community. He and his family partnered with Goodr to provide free groceries to 300 families in Central City, New Orleans, during the holiday season. Green was also present at the inauguration of New Orleans mayor Helena Moreno earlier this year. He spoke with Andscape’s Marc Spears after his firing to briefly discuss his tenure with the Pelicans and what he’ll remember most about it.

“A lot of gratitude”, Green told Spears in the interview. “There are only 30 of those jobs. So, the fact that Ms. [Gayle] Benson [the Pelicans’ owner] trusted me — even David Griffin, although he tried to fire me — I’m still grateful for the opportunity that was presented here in New Orleans. It’s going to be a lot of good memories when we look back on this opportunity. And it gave me an opportunity to continue to grow as a coach and as a leader.”

If Green were to become the next Magic head coach, he’d be inheriting a talented group that has made the playoffs the last three seasons, but has been dismissed in the first round each year. They have a bona fide star in forward Paolo Banchero and a mix of talented players to complement him.

Reports surfaced that Banchero and Mohsley did not see eye to eye behind the scenes, even taking jabs at each other through the media at times. Green hasn’t had much success as a head coach in the playoffs, winning just two games, so it remains to be seen how he would elevate the Magic to championship contention.

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