Former Pelicans Head Coach Willie Green Lands New NBA Job

After being dismissed last season by the Pelicans, Green finds a new home in the Southwest Division.

Nov 12, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans Head Coach Willie Green looks on against the Portland Trail Blazers during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Former New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green now has a new home. NBA insider Marc Stein recently reported that the Dallas Mavericks are expected to hire Green as a top assistant under new head coach Dusty May.

Green was let go by the Pelicans after just 12 games last season after a rough 2-10 start to the year. New Orleans put the interim tag on James Borrego for the remainder of last year before hiring former Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley this offseason.

Green spent a little over four seasons with the Pelicans, leading them to the playoffs twice and compiling a 150-190 record during his tenure.

Willie Green Will Continue Coaching Career With the Dallas Mavericks

He brings valuable bench experience to the Mavericks, having served on back-to-back NBA champion Golden State Warriors teams during the 2018 and 2018 seasons under Steve Kerr. He was also under Monty Williams' staff during the 2020-2021 season, when the Phoenix Suns reached the NBA Finals. The next season, New Orleans hired Green to be their full-time head coach.

Despite his dismissal from the Pelicans early in the year, the former Detroit native remained active in the New Orleans community after his firing. Green and his wife, Terrah, partnered with local community groups to feed over 300 families in the Greater New Orleans area during the holidays. He was also present for the mayoral inauguration of Helena Moreno in January.

Green told Andscape’s Marc J. Spears that community support and leadership remained important to him, even though he was no longer the coach of the New Orleans Pelicans. “I’m most proud of all the people we impacted and brought together. There are a lot of people in an organization and in the community. I feel like people walking up to us and thanking us — Terrah and I both for our contribution here in the city and what we were able to do. That means a lot. So, it means that there was some good that was planted here in New Orleans from us, giving of ourselves, giving of our time.”

Much of Green’s time in New Orleans was spent trying to juggle the mountain of injuries his teams faced year after year.

Star forward Zion Williamson missed 134 games, Brandon Ingram 119, and key contributors like Trey Murphy III and CJ McCollum missed more than 50 games each. Still, justified criticism stemmed from the Pelicans' lack of innovation on the offense end, while defense, Green’s calling card, struggled mightily in the last couple of years in the Big Easy.

The NBA is as much a pace-and-space league as ever before, but New Orleans struggled shooting from distance for the majority of Green’s time there. Ultimately, the right decision was made to go in another direction.

Green is known in most NBA circles as a player’s coach and will be tasked to help lead another young former Duke star in Cooper Flagg, much like he tried to guide Williamson’s career.

The Mavericks were able to outmaneuver the Golden State Warriors, who reportedly were interested in bringing Green back for a second stint in the Bay Area. No official statement from the Mavericks has been issued at this time regarding the potential hire, but Green seems headed to coach the Pelicans' Southwest Division rival next season.