Priority number one for the New Orleans Pelicans as their offseason gets underway is figuring out who will be the franchise's next head coach.
The three names that have been heavily linked to the Pelicans since they officially opened their search are James Borrego (who served as the interim head coach this past season), Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham, and Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley. Outside of these names, some dream candidates fans have considered include Mike Malone, who opted for the college ranks, ending up at the University of North Carolina, Billy Donovan, and Taylor Jenkins.
However, like Malone, Jenkins now joins that list of candidates who were just a dream—according to ESPN's Shams Charania, he has agreed to become the next head coach of the Bucks.
BREAKING: The Milwaukee Bucks and Taylor Jenkins are finalizing a deal to make Jenkins the franchise's new head coach, sources tell me and @ramonashelburne. Jenkins, a Bucks assistant in 2018-19, went 250-214 and made three postseasons across six seasons in Memphis. pic.twitter.com/LOHoCZO7NA
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 23, 2026
Seeing Jenkins go to the Bucks is a gut punch for the Pelicans, as the track record he built for himself in Memphis would have made him an incredible fit for New Orleans.
The Pelicans missed a perfect chance
Jenkins spent six seasons with the Grizzlies, serving as the team's first head coach during Ja Morant's tenure in Memphis. Over his time there, he accumulated a 250-214 regular-season record, leading the Grizzlies to the postseason for three straight seasons from 2020 to 2023 and achieving two 50-win seasons. Jenkins also finished second in the Coach of the Year race back in 2021-22. As valuable as wins and losses are when hiring a head coach, that wasn't the sole reason Jenkins was such an intriguing target for the Pelicans.
One of the Pelicans' biggest struggles during the Zion Williamson era has been the number of injuries their core has sustained over his seven years with the franchise. This is something Jenkins also dealt with as the Grizzlies' head coach. However, he did an incredible job at figuring out where to plug-and-play pieces and finding ways to win even when his stars were out.
In that same season, when he finished second in the Coach of the Year voting, he had to play 23 different players. Yet he still managed to coach his group to a 56-26 record and the second seed out West.
Outside of that, Jenkins also has an incredible track record of developing and molding young talent, hence why a Bucks team likely entering a rebuild was so keen on hiring him. During his time in Memphis, he was a key factor in the development of Morant, Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks, Santi Aldama, and Brandon Clarke.
Jenkins’ ability to develop young talent, adjust on the fly, and still produce winning results checked every box the Pelicans were looking for, and now they’ll have to search elsewhere.
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