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NBA rumors: Magic coach Jamahl Mosley floated as Pelicans candidate to replace Willie Green
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- NBA rumors: Magic coach Jamahl Mosley floated as Pelicans candidate to replace Willie Green
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The Orlando Magic 's uneven start to the 2025–26 season has led to early speculation around head coach Jamahl Mosley's long-term future with the franchise. At 7–7, Orlando has struggled to gain traction following a 1–4 opening stretch, and a new report suggests Mosley's name has surfaced as a potential target for the New Orleans Pelicans ' vacancy.
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According to NBA insider Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, Mosley is a coach the Pelicans would have interest in pursuing as a replacement for Willie Green , who was dismissed last week following a 2–10 start.
Fischer wrote:
"Another coaching name I've heard that would interest the Pelicans but is not currently available to them: Orlando's Jamahl Mosley .
Green began the season on the shakiest footing of any coach in the league but Orlando is another situation that frequently grabs 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 an injury-weakened East after the splashy offseason acquisition of Desmond Bane."
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Pelicans interest grows as Magic adjustments and slow start spotlight Jamahl Mosley
Fischer also pointed to the Magic's offseason staff 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 its slow start had not gone unnoticed:
"To be clear, though, Mosley's Magic have rebounded well from a 1–4 start. Orlando won five of its next seven games before a tough overtime loss Sunday night to the Houston Rockets."
Before Paolo Banchero suffered a groin strain last week, the Magic's starting lineup of Banchero, Bane, Franz Wagner , Jalen Suggs and Wendell Carter Jr. posted a 19.7 net rating across 101 minutes — an encouraging early-season indicator. Still, the team's overall inconsistency has drawn outside attention, particularly its slippage on defense. Orlando entered Tuesday ranked 12th in defensive rating after placing top-three in each of the previous two seasons under Mosley.
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Pelicans' coaching hunt coincides with reports of Mosley–Paolo Banchero strain
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The report arrives amid recent indications of tension between Mosley and Banchero . According to RG's Grant Afseth, team sources described the pair's communication as "strained," citing limited interaction during timeouts and concern that the two are not aligned.
"This is what a team looks like when a coach loses the locker room," one source told Afseth. "He needs to figure it out fast. This is on track to go from being the fun young team with potential to being the disappointment that gets the coach fired."
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New Orleans dismissed Green after dropping 10 of its first 12 games and named James Borrego as interim head coach. Other candidates cited in Marc Stein's reporting include Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham and former Brooklyn Nets interim coach Kevin Ollie.
The Magic return home to open a three-game homestand beginning Tuesday against the Golden State Warriors (9–6) as they attempt to stabilize their season and navigate injuries. Meanwhile, the Pelicans — now 2–12 and on a six-game losing streak following a 126–109 loss to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder — conclude their homestand Wednesday against the Denver Nuggets (10–3) at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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