Magic Fire Jamahl Mosley

Rumors that Mosley’s job was in jeopardy followed him all season as the team seemed to underachieve despite a talented roster. The Magic wound up as the eighth seed in the East at 45-37 and were eliminated in the first round for the third straight year. Orlando has been hampered by injuries to its star players over the past two seasons, but that consideration wasn’t enough to save Mosley.

Mosley, 47, took over as head coach in 2021 after spending 15 years as an assistant with Denver, Cleveland and Dallas. The Magic were in the midst of a rebuilding project during his first two seasons, which ended with 22 and 34 wins, but he turned them into a playoff team in 2023/24. However, he was never able to guide Orlando past the first round, losing in seven games to Cleveland in 2024, five games to Boston in 2025 and seven games to Detroit this season after squandering a 3-1 series lead.

There was speculation that Mosley would be dismissed at several points during the regular season, as expectations were high following an offseason trade for Desmond Bane. President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman chose to stick with Mosley, but rumors of an eventual change grew after the team slipped to the eighth seed by dropping its season finale to a Boston team that was playing with reserves and G Leaguers.

Those rumors intensified after a play-in loss to Philadelphia that forced the Magic to have to beat Charlotte just to reach the playoffs. They appeared poised for a major surprise after outplaying Detroit early in their series, but couldn’t hold on to a 24-point lead on Friday in a potential closeout game and lost by 22 points in Game 7. It’s not clear if beating the Pistons and reaching the second round would have been enough to save Mosley’s job.

Mosley finishes with a 189-221 regular season record in Orlando and a 7-12 mark in the playoffs.

Charania confirms a report earlier this morning that Weltman received a contract extension during the season and will remain in place to lead the coaching search. Former Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has been identified as a prominent candidate, with Bucks associate head coach Darvin Ham and former Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau being mentioned as well. Michigan head coach Dusty May has also been raised as a possibility, but he’s expected to stay at the school after winning the national championship.

An immediate opportunity could be awaiting Mosley in the wake of his dismissal, with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reporting last month that he has “several admirers” in New Orleans. The Pelicans have begun the interview process, with four frontrunners already identified.

In addition to Orlando and New Orleans, coaching searches are currently ongoing in Chicago and Portland. Milwaukee made the first hiring of the offseason last week, taking Taylor Jenkins off the market.