Pelicans Finally Announce Their Surprise New Head Coach Hire

After an extensive search since the end of the 2025-26 regular season, the New Orleans Pelicans finally have their new head coach.

Per ESPN's Shams Charania, the Pelicans are hiring Jamahl Mosley as the franchise's next head coach. The Pelicans' top brass has reportedly been in close contact with Mosley since he was fired by the Orlando Magic two weeks ago, and is now signing him to a five-year deal.

This is a surprising hire for the Pelicans. While it has been well-documented that Joe Dumars coveted Mosley, there has been little to no reporting about advanced talks between the two sides. Reports have been more focused on Rajon Rondo, Darvin Ham, and Steve Hetzel in recent weeks.

Some were wondering whether Mosley would take some time off before returning to head coaching. It turns out, the Pelicans didn't want to waste any time before aggressively pursuing Mosley when he became available.

Pelicans Hope Jamahl Mosley Can Replicate His Magic Success in New Orleans

Mosley was the head coach of the Magic for the past five seasons. He was credited with the impressive turnaround and a successful rebuild. In his first year in Orlando, the team had won 22 games. Two seasons later, they had one of the best defenses in the league and were the fifth seed in the East with 47 wins.

Where things went south for Mosley was when expectations rose in the 2025 offseason. Orlando traded for Desmond Bane to build a Franz Wagner-Paolo Banchero-Bane trio. In a weak Eastern Conference, many thought that this would be enough to be a contender.

However, Orlando never clicked. There was no flow to the offense, Wagner dealt with injuries, and Banchero had a disappointing season. They ended up winning significantly fewer games than expected, finishing 45-37 and earning the No. 8 seed.

There were reports throughout the season that Banchero and Mosley were on bad terms. The tensions between the two were regularly mentioned as a big factor in Orlando's struggles.

Mosley clearly wasn't able to lead the Magic to take the next step into contention. Yet, his ability to install a defensive identity and develop young players was undeniable.

That is exactly what the Pelicans will be looking for. After winning 21 and 26 games in back-to-back years, the Pelicans desperately need to take a big step forward. There is no expectation to be a contender any time soon, but New Orleans has to be a more competitive team while giving its fans some hope for the future.

This brings the end of the James Borrego era in New Orleans. The interim head coach flashed positive developments during his tenure, but this wasn't enough to earn him the permanent position. It's unclear what the future holds for Borrego, who was considered among the frontrunners for the role.