Updated List Of Reported New Orleans Pelicans Coaching Candidates

The New Orleans Pelicans are in the midst of an important coaching search. There is still hope for this current core of players, they just need the right person to finally put all of the pieces together.

For a while, the only confirmed member of the search was current interim head coach James Borrego. Recently, though, respected NBA insider Marc Stein reported a list of a few more names, giving some credence to rumored targets.

So here is an updated list of names officially tied to the Pelicans' job, for now:

Borrego was handed a tough job to complete when they made him the interim coach after firing Willie Green last season. Though he didn't turn them into a playoff team, he did at least keep them competitive for longer than most would have expected. He is respected by the players and would be more than just "settling" if he gets the job.

Rondo was a more surprising name to see than most on this list, but one that is instantly understandable. The 16-year NBA veteran is one of the smartest players that the game has seen. He's a basketball genius in the vein of JJ Redick, who is currently proving that the job can be done without official experience, for the right people.

Sweeney is one of the most respected coaches in the NBA, assistant or not. He is widely expected to become a head coach very soon. He has some experience with Troy Weaver, working together for a season with the Detroit Pistons. Sweeney worked with the Milwaukee Bucks in the early Giannis Antetokounmpo years, the recent Dallas Mavericks playoff teams and now the very impressive young Spurs.

Ham has been considered a serious candidate for this job for about as long as Borrego has been. Ham played on the Dumars-led on the 2004 NBA Champion Detroit Pistons squad. The two are clearly close, though I don't think that's the only reason he's being considered. Ham has been a respected name in coaching circles before, though his stint wasn't great with the Los Angeles Lakers. If he gets a second chance, perhaps a much less stressful situation will allow him more room for growth.

Jack is the second former New Orleans player on this list, and he played for both the Pelicans and the Hornets. Like Rondo, he had a very long career as a point guard, but he almost immediately got into coaching. He played in for the NBA G League Ignite in 2021 and became an assistant for the Phoenix Suns that same calendar year. He has been an assistant for this impressive new Pistons team since 2023, there for the turn into a team to be feared again.

Hetzel has been coaching in the NBA since 2009 when Joe Dumars gave him his first job as a player development coach with the Pistons. Similar to Ham, this is someone with experience with Dumars that the executive clearly respects. He has had stops with Charlotte Hornets, Orlando Magic and Portland Trail Blazers.