The New Orleans Pelicans have fired head coach Willie Green after a 2-10 start to the 2025-26 season, making the first coaching change of the NBA year and ending Greenâs five-season run on the bench. Associate head coach James Borrego has been named interim head coach, multiple outlets reported on November 15.
Pelicans Fire Willie Green After 2-10 Start, Name James Borrego Interim Coach
The Pelicans announced the move Saturday morning, less than 24 hours after a 118-104 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers dropped them to 2-10 and extended a four-game losing streak.
Green exits after an opening stretch that included three losses by 30 points or more in the first six games and multiple nights where New Orleans surrendered at least 120 points. That run made the Pelicans the first team in NBA history to lose three of its first six contests by 30-plus, according to The Athletic.
The front office has been weighing Greenâs future for weeks. New executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars, who replaced David Griffin after last seasonâs 21-61 disaster, ultimately pulled the trigger with the backing of owner Gayle Benson.
Borrego, 47, steps into the interim role after two previous head-coaching stints with the Orlando Magic (interim) and Charlotte Hornets. He joined New Orleansâ staff in 2023 and was widely viewed around the league as a potential in-house replacement if the Pelicans ever changed course with Green.
In a team statement, Dumars called it a âdifficult decisionâ and praised Greenâs impact on the franchise and the city, but made clear the organization felt a change was necessary.
How Willie Green Went From 49 Wins to the Hot Seat
Greenâs firing comes barely a season and a half after he delivered one of the best years in franchise history. The Pelicans went 49-33 in 2023-24, their best record since the Chris Paul era in 2007-08, and made the playoffs before bowing out in the first round.
But the momentum evaporated almost immediately. Injuries and inconsistency ravaged the 2024-25 team, which crumbled to 21-61, missed the playoffs and ultimately cost Griffin his job as lead executive.
Throughout Greenâs tenure, the Pelicans rarely enjoyed a fully healthy core. Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram â positioned as the stars of the post-Anthony Davis era â spent as much time on the injury report as the court. Recent additions Jordan Poole and Dejounte Murray have also experienced injuries or been up and down in their play. Green coached only a fraction of his games with a healthy roster available to him, and Williamson entered this season again battling hamstring issues that limited him to just five appearances before the firing.
Even so, internal frustration with Green grew, according to The Athletic. Members of the organization questioned his in-game adjustments, offensive creativity and rotation management, especially during long losing streaks. Those doubts only intensified when the Pelicans followed last seasonâs collapse with this fallâs historically ugly start.
The pressure on Green spiked further when Dumars and the front office made one of the most polarizing trades of the 2025 offseason, packaging the No. 23 pick and the rights to a valuable 2026 first-rounder to move up and select Maryland big man Derik Queen at No. 13. If New Orleans continues to struggle and that 2026 pick lands high, the deal will be scrutinized even more harshly.
Since the beginning of the 2024-25 season, the Pelicans have owned one of the leagueâs worst overall records, sitting near the bottom of the NBA alongside rebuilding teams like the Washington Wizards and Utah Jazz.
What Willie Greenâs Firing Means for James Borrego, Zion & the Pelicans
For Borrego, this is a massive audition. He inherits a roster with star power, young talent and a brutal recent track record, plus all the uncertainty around Williamsonâs health and long-term future. His challenge starts immediately with a daunting stretch of home games against the Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets.
Short term, expect only so much schematic overhaul. Borregoâs priority will be stabilizing a locker room thatâs been rocked by blowouts, injuries and now a coaching change. Heâll be tasked with tightening the defense, simplifying the offense and trying to re-engage a fan base that watched a 49-win team tumble into the lottery in the span of 18 months.
For the front office, the pressure only shifts. Dumars now owns back-to-back franchise-defining decisions: firing Griffin after 21-61 and firing Green after 2-10. His next move â whether thatâs removing Borregoâs interim tag or chasing a bigger-name coach in the offseason â will help determine the Pelicansâ direction around Zion, Ingram and recent investments like Queen.
For Green, the dismissal closes a run that included two playoff trips, the organizationâs best season in over a decade and a final record around 150-190 with no series wins. Another opportunity as a lead assistant or head coach elsewhere seems likely, but in New Orleans, the verdict is in: the Pelicans decided someone else should be the one to try to finally unlock their star-laden core.
Stats, Schedule & Context for the Post-Green Pelicans
- Record this season: 2-10, last in the Western Conference.
- Recent form: four-game losing streak, including multiple 30-point blowouts.
- Last season: 21-61, missed playoffs.
- High point under Green: 49-33 in 2023-24, best record since 2007-08, playoff appearance.
- Playoff track record: two trips, both ending in first-round exits.
- Next six games: vs. Warriors, vs. Thunder, vs. Nuggets, at Mavericks, vs. Hawks, vs. Bulls.
- Key roster questions: health and usage of Williamson, fit and playstyle with Poole, and how Murray factors in when he returns healthy. Also, the development of Queen and other young players, and whether Borrego can fix a bottom-five unit on both ends of the floor.Â
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