The New Orleans Pelicans are going to move on from their head coach, Willie Green.
The decision to part ways with the first-time head coach is far from a shock. After an uninspiring start for Green, it seemed there was only a matter of time before the organization cut ties with him. Moving forward, the Pelicans are expected to roll with James Borrego as the interim head coach, while they figure out their long-term plans.
“I have tremendous admiration and respect for Willie Green, and I truly appreciate all he has done for our organization over the last few years. This is a tough business and these are difficult decisions. My expectation is to be a winning team that competes for championships, and I remain steadfast in our commitment to building a championship-caliber organization for our players, partners, and above all, our fans.”
NBA Fans React to the Pelicans’ Decision
Green, 44, joined the Pelicans ahead of the 2021-2022 season. At the time of his hiring, he was a rookie head coach.
During his first season with the Pelicans, Green’s team went 36-46. They were a first-round exit, losing 4-2.
The Pelicans failed to follow up with another playoff appearance during Green’s second season in charge. Although they accomplished a better record at 42-40, New Orleans missed the playoffs.
Over the past two seasons, the Pelicans managed to make it back to the playoffs in 2024 after posting an impressive 49-33 record. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any success in the postseason, getting swept 0-4. Last year, the Pelicans battled plenty of injuries throughout the season, and wrapped up the year with a 21-61 record, missing the playoffs for the second time in four years.
Over the summer, the Pelicans made major changes up top in an attempt to fix the front office. With that, it put pressure on Green to succeed, and the pressure was applied early on. Just 12 games into the 2025-2026 NBA season, the Pelicans posted a 2-10 record. After Friday’s loss against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Pelicans made their decision.
While fans don’t seem to expect a change at head coach to suddenly switch the direction of the Pelicans this season, it was apparent that a new voice could be useful for a young New Orleans team, with a couple of rising stars. They move forward as the 15th seed in the Western Conference, 9.5 games back from first.
As for Green, the player-turned-coach wraps up his first head coaching stint with a 148-180 record. In the playoffs, he was 2-8. Prior to his stop in New Orleans, Green started as an assistant coach with the Golden State Warriors. In 2019, he joined the Phoenix Suns for a few years before getting hired by the Pelicans. It’s unclear what’s next for Green, but the Pelicans were sure they had to move on.
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