Five NBA coaches already on the hot seat

The NBA season is only three weeks old, but multiple teams are already in trouble. It's too early to change the players, so struggling NBA teams could be looking to make changes in their leadership instead. Here are five coaches who are already on the hot seat.

1. Chauncey Billups, Portland Trail Blazers

Chauncey Billups' arrest and suspension make him the obvious top choice on this list, but it's not just the Hall of Famer's legal issues that put him in peril. Billups signed a multiyear extension in April, but that was before Tom Dundon, owner of the Carolina Hurricanes, agreed on a deal to buy the Portland Trail Blazers. New owners tend to make changes anyway, and Billups has an unimpressive 117-211 record in Portland.

His team is also thriving under new head coach Tiago Splitter, going 5-3 and dealing the Oklahoma City Thunder their first loss. The Blazers have a top-10 defense and are thriving playing at the NBA's second-fastest pace. Don't bet on Billups getting his job back.

2. Willie Green, New Orleans Pelicans

On the positive side for Willie Green, the New Orleans Pelicans have won two straight games. On the negative side, those were their first two wins of a 2-6 season. Green had success in his first seasons in New Orleans, making the playoffs in two of his first three seasons while steadily increasing from 36 to 42 to 49 wins.

But the team went 21-61 last season amid injuries to Dejounte Murray, Brandon Ingram and the constantly hurt Zion Williamson. Williamson is already out with a hamstring strain this season. If the Pelicans keep losing, new boss Joe Dumars might make a change as soon as next week.

3. Tuomas Iisalo, Memphis Grizzlies

When an NBA coach has a conflict with a star player, it's usually the coach who loses out. That could be the case for first-year coach Tuomas Iisalo, who clashed with star Ja Morant last week after chastising the star's lack of effort in front of the team Friday. Morant was suspended for one game and seems deeply unhappy.

The Memphis Grizzlies (3-6) might struggle to trade Morant, who has nearly $127M left on his contract. By contrast, Iisalo may still be on the contract he signed to be an assistant coach before last season, which was reportedly a seven-figure deal — albeit cheap for a head coach. With the Grizzlies at 3-6 and Iisalo feuding with a star, his time in Memphis could be short.

4. Jamahl Mosley, Orlando Magic

Jamahl Mosley has led the Orlando Magic to some impressive defensive performances. Their offense has mostly been miserable.

Despite trading for Desmond Bane this summer, the 3-5 Magic still are one of the NBA's worst three-point shooting teams. They've consistently put up low assist totals under Mosley, but still have a lot of turnovers. Mosley has raised expectations in Orlando, but he might be gone if his team can't meet them.

5. Brian Keefe, Washington Wizards

The 1-7 Washington Wizards may not be trying to win this season, with a roster full of young and inexperienced players. Still, they also don't want to keep getting outscored by 16.2 points per game, easily the worst mark in the NBA.

Keefe has lost nearly 80 percent of his games as a head coach, going 27-102 in D.C. The Wizards are clearly tanking for a high draft pick and preserving cap space for next summer, but they might want to change coaches so their young players don't lose hope.