The Orlando Magic at least made things interesting this postseason.
The Magic finished eighth in the Eastern Conference and began with a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
However, Orlando survived with a 121-90 win over the Charlotte Hornets in the final Eastern Conference play-in game, and the “reward” for the Magic was the No. 8 seed and a series against the No. 1 seed Detroit Pistons.
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Somehow, someway, the Magic jumped out to a 3-1 lead, but the momentum didn’t last as the Pistons won the final three to advance to the second round.
That ultimately led to head coach Jamahl Mosley being fired despite taking the Magic to three straight playoff trips, and Mosley quickly was named the new coach for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Now, the Magic are exploring some big names for their opening, and two veterans have surfaced, according to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer: Billy Donovan and Jeff Van Gundy.
Donovan, who spent five seasons as the coach for the Oklahoma City Thunder and the past six with the Chicago Bulls, was also linked to the North Carolina Tar Heels opening before Michael Malone was hired.
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Van Gundy spent seven seasons as the New York Knicks head coach and then four with the Houston Rockets before moving into broadcasting for about 15 years. He got back into coaching as an assistant with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2024. It has been almost 20 seasons since Van Gundy was a head coach in the NBA.
Who Else Are the Magic Considering?
Orlando Magic forward Jamal Cain (8) reacts after dunking the ball during the second half against the Detroit Pistons in Game 4 of the first round of the 2026 NBA playoffs.Mike Watters-Imagn Images
Despite rumors, it doesn’t seem that former Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has received an interview just yet, although that can change.
San Antonio Spurs associate head coach Sean Sweeney is expected to land an interview, although the race figures to be between Van Gundy and Donovan for right now.
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Donovan won back-to-back NCAA Tournament titles with the Florida Gators before moving to an NBA job, so he has strong ties in the state of Florida and might be the perfect guy to get the Magic back on track.
Related: Donovan Mitchell’s Historic Night Draws Major Praise From Magic Johnson
This story was originally published by Lindys Sports on May 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add Lindys Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.