Multiple candidates have reportedly emerged for the New Orleans Pelicans’ head coaching job following the firing of Willie Green.
According to SNY’s Ian Begley, Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego “will get consideration” for the full-time job. Former UConn head men’s basketball coach Kevin Ollie reportedly “will also be among those who get consideration” for the position.
The Pelicans announced the firing of Green on Saturday following a 2-10 start to the 2025-26 season.
Green had served as the Pels’ head coach for parts of five seasons. He led them to a pair of playoff appearances, but they were eliminated in the first round each time.
He also accumulated an overall record of just 150-190, giving him a winning percentage of .441.
While a poor season wouldn’t necessarily be the worst thing for the organization under normal circumstances, especially since the 2026 NBA draft class looks to be a strong one at the top, losing won’t benefit the Pelicans in any way.
That is because they dealt their unprotected 2026 first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks in order to move up in the 2025 draft and take center Derik Queen.
New Orleans has the fourth-worst record in the NBA, meaning it could miss out on a potential franchise player as a result of that trade.
Borrego is being entrusted to guide the team back to respectability this season, marking the second time he has been an interim head coach in the NBA.
He went 10-20 in that role with the Orlando Magic in 2014-15 before spending four seasons as the Charlotte Hornets head coach from 2018 to 2022.
Borrego went 138-163 in Charlotte, and although he never reached the playoffs, his .458 winning percentage was better than the one posted by Green in New Orleans.
Ollie, 52, doesn’t have the same level of NBA coaching experience as Borrego, although he did play 13 seasons in the league as a guard from 1997 to 2010.
He went on to become the head coach at his alma mater, UConn, from 2012 to 2018. Ollie had his ups and downs in that role, but he led the Huskies to a national title in 2014.
Ollie had to vacate wins from the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons due to an NCAA rule violation that saw an ineligible player participate. Ollie was fired in 2018 after being charged with three Level I violations by the NCAA.
In 2023, Ollie transitioned to the NBA coaching ranks, becoming an assistant under Jacque Vaughn with the Brooklyn Nets.
Vaughn was fired during the 2023-24 season, and Ollie finished out the year as the interim head coach, going 11-17.
Ollie has been out of coaching since then, but after winning a national title as a college head coach and getting some experience as an NBA head coach, he is an intriguing potential candidate for a Pelicans team looking to return to playoff contention.