The Orlando Magic had the No. 1-seeded Detroit Pistons on the ropes in their first-round Eastern Conference best-of-seven series. The Magic were up 3-1 and simply needed one more win to advance. But Orlando and head coach Jamahl Mosley couldn’t get the job done.
On Sunday at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, the Pistons put up a 116-94 win and sent the Magic home. Now, with Orlando’s season over, Mosley’s future as head coach is up in the air. With that being the case, five NBA-related coaches and assistant coaches might be in line to take over in Orlando.
Billy Donovan
Billy Donovan’s tenure with the Chicago Bulls ended earlier this season, leaving him on the market for another job. Would he be a good fit for the Magic, even after choosing to not take the job and go coach the Florida Gators?
PFSN Deputy Editor Alex Kennedy thinks so, and mentioned Donovan in a post on X.
Orlando needs to hire Billy Donovan… again.
In 2007, the Magic hired Donovan as their head coach. However, one day after his introductory presser, Donovan got cold feet and asked out of his contract so he could return to the Gators. The Magic agreed and hired Stan Van Gundy. pic.twitter.com/jfCUGPf7rW
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) May 3, 2026
“Orlando needs to hire Billy Donovan… again,” Kennedy wrote. “In 2007, the Magic hired Donovan as their head coach. However, one day after his introductory presser, Donovan got cold feet and asked out of his contract so he could return to the Gators. The Magic agreed and hired Stan Van Gundy.”
The Bulls initially preferred to keep Donovan, but the head coach reportedly sought other opportunities outside Chicago.
Donovan spent 5 seasons coaching the Oklahoma City Thunder and 6 seasons with the Bulls. He has a 469-413 overall coaching record, which computes to a 53.2% winning percentage. Donovan won the NBA Coach of the Year Award in the 2019-20 season.
Tom Thibodeau
Tom Thibodeau’s head-coaching tenures included the Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, and New York Knicks. Despite taking the Knicks all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals last season before losing to the Indiana Pacers, the organization decided to move away from him.
Given Thibodeau’s long relationship with various NBA organizations, he can bring that experience to a team like the Magic. The man known as “Thibs” was an assistant coach with the Timberwolves, San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, Knicks, Houston Rockets, and Boston Celtics.
Thibodeau’s career coaching record is 578-420, which is a 57.9% winning percentage.
James Borrego
James Borrego has some history with the Magic franchise. He spent four seasons as an assistant coach and served as the team’s interim head coach for 30 games in the 2015-16 season.
Borrego spent 4 seasons as head coach of the Charlotte Hornets and also served as the New Orleans Pelicans’ associate head coach for the past 3 seasons. But he stepped into an interim head coaching role for New Orleans this season, serving 70 games.
His overall head coaching record is 172-229, which is a 42.9% winning percentage. If the Magic were looking to hire someone familiar with the organization, Borrego could be the team’s next head coach.
Sam Cassell
Sam Cassell made a name for himself as an NBA player, entering the league as a first-round draft choice by the Houston Rockets back in 1993.
Besides the Rockets, Cassell also played with the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey (now Brooklyn) Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers, and Boston Celtics.
After his playing career ended, Cassell went into coaching full-time. He’s been an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards, Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Celtics. Now that the Celtics’ season is over, Cassell might be someone the Magic call to see if there’s mutual interest in becoming Orlando’s next head coach.
Micah Nori
Micah Nori is currently an assistant coach with the Timberwolves under head coach Chris Finch. Besides the Timberwolves, Nori has been an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets, and Detroit Pistons.
In the annual NBA general managers’ survey, Nori was voted as the top assistant coach. Nori is also an offensive-minded coach, which falls into an area that Orlando probably needs to address going into next season.
His name has been connected by some NBA observers with the Bulls’ current head coach opening. But Nori is expected to be available should Orlando look in his direction.
