Pelicans' first offseason move should be the one fans were all waiting for

With the 2025-26 season for the New Orleans Pelicans officially done, the offseason starts now for the team that finished 11th out West, and it’s bound to be busy. Shortly after the end-of-season player and coach press conferences wrapped up, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Pelicans have officially opened their coaching search, with interim head coach James Borrego remaining a candidate.

For anyone who’s a die-hard fan and has kept up with the Pelicans through the entirety of an 82-game season that resulted in just 26 wins, they knew this was coming. After taking over for Willie Green just 12 games into this season, fans saw a shift in the way the team was run under Borrego. Although things were far from perfect, there was obvious growth with the team's young talent, and the pace at which the Pelicans played was better suited than previously under Green. Borrego did a solid job finishing with a record of 24-46, managing a ton of different injuries and never hesitating to be creative after taking over.

Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver mismanaged New Orleans’ coaching situation during their first offseason—the approach entering the summer of 2026 is much improved. 

Second time's the charm for Dumars and company

Now, the first offseason for Dumars and Weaver was a disaster in hindsight—it appears they are looking to right their wrongs this summer. When they first took over, it was obvious that Willie Green wasn’t the guy, and while they misjudged that situation by having him return to the bench to start the 2025-26 campaign, the approach to the coaching search this summer suggests growth. 

To this point, aside from Borrego, other names that have been linked to the Pelicans are Bucks assistant Darvin Ham, current Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley, and former UConn head coach and Nets assistant Kevin Ollie, according to HoopsHype’s Mike Scotto. If New Orleans moves on from Borrego, Ham or Mosley should be the top choice, with Ollie a distant third.

We’ve seen during his time in Orlando that Mosley is a culture builder and a great developer of young talent. While he’s struggled to reach higher heights this season, New Orleans is still far from those expectations.

Similar things can be said about Ham, who has been a key factor as an assistant in developing young talent like Ryan Rollins, Jericho Sims, and Ousmane Dieng into quality players. On top of that, he has previous head coaching experience and a conference finals appearance under his belt from his time in LA.

The same can’t be said about Ollie, who, despite leading UConn to a National Championship in 2014, has failed to remain relevant. Ollie is a good friend of Pelicans GM Troy Weaver’s and was a lead candidate for the Pistons coaching hire back in 2023 when Weaver was in charge. But with him being out of the NBA coaching circles since 2024, hiring him could be disastrous.

The Pelicans are still a ways away from naming their next bench boss, so don’t be surprised if new candidates pop up. That said, the general approach to widen their search despite James Borrego doing a solid job under the interim tag is an encouraging sign that the front office will get this hire right.