Pelicans to Hire Mavs Assistant Coach Candidate James Borrego; Potential Backup Plans

DALLAS — As the Dallas Mavericks continue to need a replacement for former top assistant coach Greg St. Jean, the top options they have been recently linked to have continued to take jobs elsewhere. 

In an April 30 Substack post from NBA reporter Marc Stein, the Mavs were linked primarily to two potential assistant coaching candidates to fill their vacancy: James Borrego and Jeff Hornacek. The other was Frank Vogel, but was considered more of a longshot due to still being in demand for a head coaching role, which he ultimately received from the Phoenix Suns. 

"Former head coaches James Borrego (Magic and Hornets) and Jeff Hornacek (Suns and Knicks) are among the expected top targets for the opening Dallas has created on its bench to bolster Jason Kidd's coaching staff," Stein wrote.

As first reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the New Orleans Pelicans plan to hire Borrego in an associate head coaching role. The motivation behind the hire was to provide Willie Green with an offensive savvy coaching mind on his staff. 

"James Borrego has agreed to become New Orleans’ associate head coach," Wojnarowski reported. "Borrego spent four seasons as Charlotte’s head coach, including back-to-back play-in berths. Pelicans are eager to incorporate his offensive philosophy."

Borrego had served as an assistant coach with the Pelicans in 2010 until 2012. During that short stint, Green was on the roster as a player. Borrego had also served as an interim head coach for the Orlando Magic in 2014-15 when Green was finishing out the season of his playing career.

Hornacek remains available on the market. However, another option that was reported by Stein as being a possible name that could later emerge was Terry Stotts. He already has prior history with the Mavs organization as he served as an assistant coach from 2008 to 2012 before becoming the Portland Trail Blazers' head coach — a role he held for nearly a decade. 

"Terry Stotts, who has a career record of 517-486 (.515) in head coaching stints in Milwaukee, Atlanta and Portland, is a former Mavericks assistant from Kidd’s second Maverick stint as a player who likewise could emerge as a Dallas candidate," Stein reported.

The Mavs seek to hire an experienced candidate to fill the lead assistant coaching vacancy that St. Jean had filled. The two names that have previously been linked — Hornacek and Stotts — could be options to monitor. Other experienced coaches have also recently entered the market after being fired. 

Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).