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Shamit Dua: There really hasn't been any updates for the Pelicans search at the moment. The team is still evaluating and to my understanding the 5 names under consideration at this moment in time are: Borrego Ham Hetzel Mosley Rondo
According to sources close to the search, Borrego is one of the four candidates who have emerged as the front runners to land the job. He joins a list that includes Rajon Rondo, Steve Hetzel and Darvin Ham. The best guess here is Rondo and Hetzel are at the top of the list.
The Stein Line has learned that the Pelicans have begun formal outreach to candidates they plan to pursue in addition to interim coach James Borrego. Sources say names of strong interest from the league's assistant ranks include San Antonio's Sean Sweeney, Milwaukee's Darvin Ham and Brooklyn's Steve Hetzel. As mentioned from the jump, Borrego remains very much under consideration for the position, sources say.
Should Orlando move on from Mosley, keep an eye on veteran free agent coaches Taylor Jenkins and Tom Thibodeau drawing interest. Another name to monitor would be Bulls coach Billy Donovan, who will have the option to remain with Chicago or pursue another coaching position. It’s also worth noting that former Magic assistant coach James Borrego, who’s currently the interim head coach for the New Orleans Pelicans, will also be available this summer. Lastly, prior to Michael Malone accepting the North Carolina head coaching job, many within league circles believed he was a coaching candidate for Orlando if the franchise pivoted away from Mosley after its season concluded.
The growing expectation within league circles is that Doc Rivers won’t be Milwaukee's head coach next season. Instead, there’s a belief that Rivers could pivot to an undetermined role in Milwaukee’s front office. As for potential coaching candidates, the Bucks have an internal candidate in Darvin Ham who will also be sought after by the Pelicans, according to league sources, this summer. Taylor Jenkins will almost assuredly draw interest from Milwaukee if their head coaching job becomes available. Jenkins will arguably be the most sought-after coach on the market and was previously an assistant coach under Mike Budenholzer when the Bucks advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2019. Another name to potentially consider is Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego, who previously interviewed for Milwaukee’s head coaching job when Adrian Griffin was hired, and will also be available this summer.
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James Borrego will be a candidate to retain the job going forward, but others are also expected to be in the mix, including Darvin Ham and Kevin Ollie, league sources told HoopsHype. In addition, league sources say current Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley has several admirers in New Orleans. Should Mosley not be retained by Orlando after the season, he would also be towards the top of the coaching candidate list for New Orleans.
Jamahl Mosley, though, still has many fans around the league after Orlando posted a top-three defense in both 2023-24 and 2024-25 and thanks to both his ability to relate to players and also still get out on the floor with them. He has USA Basketball experience on his resume, too, and has been mentioned for some time as a likely candidate in New Orleans — if available — should the Pelicans find themselves in the market for a new coach after the regular season concludes this week. New Pelicans lead decision-maker Joe Dumars is said to hold Mosley interest and could opt to hire his own head coach after installing associate head coach James Borrego as Green’s interim replacement after a 2-10 start. As Stein reported in November, sources say former Lakers coach Darvin Ham is another likely Pelicans target if Borrego doesn’t land the full-time post.
Shamit Dua: For the Pelicans, Malone was never an option. If it's not Borrego, the two names constantly tied with them have been Mosely or Ham. I have not heard credible reports of any others. Now Mosely or Ham have to want to come to New Orleans and there's many jobs that are about to open
Jim Eichenhofer: James Borrego on #Pelicans getting two wins over Clippers with Zion Williamson scoring 14 and 15 pts: "Z is comfortable just making the right play. There's no frustration on his part (to not get as many shots). The goal is to win... our offensive weapons are so diverse right now."
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Even more impressive is Missi is only 21, making him the youngest player in this exclusive club to hit the 10-5-5 benchmark in a game. “I thought he was fantastic,” said interim coach James Borrego. “Really all of our bigs were. But Yves specifically in impacting the rim. The way he’s rebounding out there. He affects our defense in so many ways. I love his energy, his spirit. He’s becoming that rim protector for us.”
“He’s a psychologist, he’s a mentor, he’s a friend, he’s a cheerleader, he’s a coach and he’s wearing five to six different hats every night,” Pelicans coach James Borrego said. “The beauty in DeAndre is, whatever is required in the moment, he’s willing to step and give. “And sometimes that’s an X or O or it’s just love. And that’s not easy to do. That’s what makes him so special.”
Pelicans Film Room: "That's the blue print... physical, aggressive, defensive, disruptive, a big physical team. That is what we're looking to build... We have built habits to get to this point and now its about not letting up" -- James Borrego on the team identity
"That's the blue print... physical, aggressive, defensive, disruptive, a big physical team. That is what we're looking to build... We have built habits to get to this point and now its about not letting up"
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) March 12, 2026
-- James Borrego on the team identity pic.twitter.com/H2J0KN33sQ
RC Buford: “I think we had many coaches over the last 10 years who could have stepped into that role. Ime Udoka was with us, along with James Borrego, Brett Brown, Mike Budenholzer, and Will Hardy. There were many people with us who could have stepped into that role, but the longer Coach Pop stayed, the more those coaches moved on to other opportunities. When we needed Mitch to step up, he did so in a big way. It was incredibly emotional for him to take on that role. ‘Interim’ is probably the wrong word, because at the time of Pop’s stroke, we didn’t know whether Pop could come back. Mitch had that year to show the players—and all of us—who he could be as a coach.”