Rondo, Borrego Among Frontrunners For Pelicans’ Coaching Job

Rajon Rondo, James Borrego, Darvin Ham and Steve Hetzel have emerged as the four frontrunners for the Pelicans‘ head coaching job, sources close to the search tell Rod Walker of NOLA.com.

According to Walker’s “best guess,” Rondo and Hetzel are “at the top” of the team’s list of candidates.

Within a look at the pros and cons of each candidate, Walker writes that Rondo would bring toughness and leadership to the Pelicans, pointing out that the 40-year-old was a significant voice in the locker room when he played one season in New Orleans back in 2017/18. That was one of only two seasons in which the Pelicans have won a playoff series, Walker notes.

Walker also points out that Rondo is still respected for his time as an elite player, having earned numerous individual accolades and won two championship during his career, which spanned 16 years (from 2006-2022). He would also “fire up” the teams fans.

On the other hand, Rondo has never been a head coach. He has spent the past two seasons in Milwaukee as a coaching associate.

As Walker writes, Hetzel is the other candidate who lacks head coaching experience, and he probably wouldn’t excite the team’s fans since he’s not a household name. But the Nets assistant is “said to be a good motivator,” with a career arc similar to Jordan Ott, who gradually worked his way up the ranks before leading Phoenix to a playoff berth in 2025/26.

Head of basketball operations Joe Dumars has also worked with Hetzel in the past, Walker notes, having spent four years together in Detroit.

Borrego finished out ’25/26 as New Orleans’ interim head coach after Willie Green was fired in the fall. He has the most head coaching experience of the group and the Pelicans showed some positive signs in the second half, per Walker, though they went just 24-46 in Borrego’s 70 games at the helm.

Ham has spent the past couple years as the top assistant with the Bucks. He led the Lakers to a pair of playoff trips in two seasons as the team’s head coach before being fired in 2024. Dumars is familiar with Ham as well, but Walker notes that some people say Ham lost the Lakers’ locker room.