Magic coach Jamal Mosley has emerged as the Pelicans’ candidate to replace Willie Green

The Orlando MagicAn uneven start to the 2025–26 season led to early speculation surrounding a head coach Jamahl Mosleylong-term future with the franchise. At 7–7, Orlando struggled to gain traction after a 1–4 opening stretch, and a new report suggests Mosley’s name emerged as a potential target for New Orleans Pelicans‘ vacancy.

According to NBA insider Jake Fisher of Stein Line, Mosley is the coach the Pelicans would be interested in replacing Willie Greenwho was fired last week after a 2-10 start.

Fisher wrote:

“Another coaching name that I’ve heard would be of interest to the Pelicans but is not currently available to them: Orlando’s Jamal Moseley.

Green started the season off on the worst footing of any coach in the league, but Orlando is another situation that often gets the attention of the league’s traveling whisperers in the scouting community. The main reason for that, of course, is the high expectations in the Magic Kingdom in the injury-depleted East after the terrific offseason acquisition of Desmond Bain.

Interest in the Pelicans is growing as the Magic’s adjustments and slow start put Jamal Mosley in the spotlight

Fisher also pointed to the Magic’s offseason personnel changes, including the arrival of veteran assistant Joe Prunty, noting that several moves were made at the urging of president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman.

He added that Orlando’s strong response to his slow start has not gone unnoticed:

“To be clear, though, Mosley’s Magic rebounded nicely from a 1-4 start. Orlando won five of its next seven games before Sunday night’s tough overtime loss to the Houston Rockets.”

Before Paolo Banchero suffered a groin strain last week, the Magic’s starting lineup of Banchero, Bain, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs and Wendell Carter Jr. posted a 19.7 net rating per 101 minutes — an encouraging sign to start the season. However, the team’s overall inconsistency has drawn attention from the outside, particularly its defensive slippage. Orlando entered Tuesday ranked 12th in defensive rating after ranking in the top three in each of the previous two seasons under Mosley.

The Pelicans’ coaching hunt coincides with reports of a Mosley–Paolo Banchero feud

The report arrives in the middle recent indications of tension between Moseley and Buncher. According to RG’s Grant Afsett, team sources described the pair’s communication as “strained,” citing limited interaction during timeouts and concerns that the two were out of sync.

“This is what a team looks like when the coach loses the locker room,” one source told The Offset. “He’s got to figure it out fast. This is on the way from a fun young team with potential to a letdown that gets the coach fired.”

New Orleans fired Green after losing 10 of their first 12 games and named James Borrego as interim head coach. Other candidates listed in Mark Stein’s report include Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darwin Hamm and former Brooklyn Nets interim coach Kevin Ollie.

The The Magic return home to open a three-game homestand starting Tuesday against the Golden State Warriors (9–6) as they try to stabilize their season and overcome injuries. Meanwhile, the Pelicans — now 2–12 and on a six-game losing streak after a 126–109 loss to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder — wrap up their opener against the Denver Nuggets (10-3) on Wednesday at 8:30 PM ET.