If the New Orleans Pelicans decide to move on from Willie Green, the list of potential replacements is already taking shape. After a 2–6 start and another stretch of erratic play on both ends, internal and external candidates are lining up, from rising assistants to proven winners like Becky Hammon.
With the Pelicans currently sitting at 2-9, Willie Green is no longer being introduced in the pregame at home games because of booing from New Orleans fans. Green said in an interview that it doesn’t bother him, and that he’s just focused on the game, but with pressure mounting, we take a look at the most likely candidates to replace Green at the Pelicans.
Prior to tipoff in the Smoothie King Center on Wednesday night, @FearTheBrown asked Pelicans head coach Willie Green about no longer being introduced with the team pregame.
Green is no longer being introduced because fans in NOLA were booing him. pic.twitter.com/97JL6mLC1s— Fletcher Mackel (@FletcherWDSU) November 13, 2025
Next New Orleans Pelicans Head Coach Odds
| Candidate | Current Role | Odds | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Borrego | Pelicans associate HC | +400 | 20.0% |
| Sam Cassell | Celtics assistant | +500 | 16.7% |
| Chris Quinn | Heat lead assistant | +600 | 14.3% |
| Jarron Collins | Pelicans assistant | +700 | 12.5% |
| Becky Hammon | Aces head coach (WNBA) | +800 | 11.1% |
| Micah Nori | Timberwolves lead assistant | +900 | 10.0% |
| Darvin Ham | Bucks lead assistant | +1200 | 7.7% |
| Frank Vogel | Mavericks lead assistant | +1600 | 5.9% |
| Monty Williams | Former Pistons HC | +1800 | 5.3% |
| Terry Stotts | Warriors lead assistant | +2000 | 4.8% |
James Borrego Favorite to Take Over From Willie Green
Former Hornets head coach, now Willie Green’s No. 2 in New Orleans, repeatedly interviewed for openings last cycle, and is now favorite to take over if the Pelicans get rid of Green. If the front office wants continuity without a full reset, Borrego is the inside-track external. He knows the roster, terminology, and pain points, so you’d get a faster on-ramp than a true outsider.
Offensively, he favors pace-and-space concepts that can tilt toward more pick-and-roll volume for Zion as a screener and short-roll playmaker.
The bet is that a different voice plus similar structure stabilizes things quickly. Risk is optics; promoting from within can read like a half-measure if results don’t pop.
Sam Cassell Among Favorites to be Next Pelicans HC
Cassell reads as one of the cleanest plug-ins: respected voice, NBA championship pedigree, and two decades of player-development receipts. Guards swear by his teaching, and he just helped Boston win the 2024 title as an assistant.
His communication style lands with stars and role players, which fits a Zion/Ingram core. Tactically, he’d bring simple, repeatable package installs and clear roles for secondary creators.
Biggest question is staff-building on defense; he’d likely pair with a veteran defensive mind.
Availability isn’t an issue. Boston extended Joe Mazzulla, so Cassell remains in the assistant lane unless a team gives him the chair.
Chris Quinn in the Running for Pelicans Head Coach Role
If you want the Spoelstra school of organization, Quinn is the call. He’s been on Miami’s bench for a decade, has run the team when needed, and keeps surfacing as a finalist. Phoenix had him deep in their 2025 search, and league chatter consistently tags him as “ready.”
The pitch is structure: scouting detail, rotation clarity, and accountability that doesn’t turn performative. With New Orleans’ half-court bogging down, his emphasis on spacing rules and weak-side engagement is attractive.
Concern is reps as a full-time head coach; the first month would be a learning curve. Still, the track record of Heat assistants traveling well is strong.
Jarron Collins Could be the Solution for New Orleans as Their Next Coach
With his NBA championship rings from Golden State, Collins had a front-row seat to how elite offenses connect movement, timing, and reads. Collins brings that context plus four years inside New Orleans’ building.
He’s a players’-coach type who can command the room without turning every huddle into a TED Talk. The developmental piece with bigs is a quiet selling point, useful for maximizing Zion’s screening, sealing, and playmaking windows.
If ownership wants minimal disruption and a clear message shift, Collins is your calm-hand option. The trade-off is perceived risk on first-chair experience.
Becky Hammon a Potential Replacement for Willie Green
Three titles in four seasons with Las Vegas puts her in any serious conversation. The appeal is obvious: modern spacing principles, honest player management, and proof she can steer a veteran room through pressure runs.
Hammon has interviewed for NBA jobs before and hasn’t been shy about saying teams will hire her if they actually want to. The question is timing and appetite to leave an Aces machine that just won again.
If New Orleans wants a true reset and headline hire, she checks every box except NBA head coaching experience. That’s a hurdle some owners care about and others don’t.
