After a dreadful start to the 2025-26 NBA season, the New Orleans Pelicans decided to make a move this week in hopes of turning things around. The team parted ways with head coach Willie Green and is now looking for a viable replacement, with a former Los Angeles Lakers head coach reportedly drawing interest from the struggling franchise.
Former Lakers Coach Drawing Interest From Pelicans
New Orleans is sporting an ugly record of 2-11 after 13 games, with little hope of salvaging the season without the right person calling the shots as the new leader on the sideline.
Although there are some notable head coaches available, like Tom Thibodeau, who the New York Knicks fired after last season, the Pelicans might be looking in the direction of current Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Ham is a “name to watch” in the Pelicans’ coaching search, with Kevin Ollie also being considered as a candidate to succeed Green in New Orleans.
“Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham, I’m told, is a name to watch in the Pelicans’ search. My former ESPN teammate Ian Begley reported this week that former UConn coach and Nets interim coach Kevin Ollie — long admired by Dumars’ top aide Troy Weaver — is another potential candidate,” Stein wrote.
After serving as an assistant coach for several teams from 2011 to 2022, including stints with the Lakers, Atlanta Hawks, and Bucks, Ham was given the opportunity to become a head coach for the first time in Los Angeles, replacing Frank Vogel.
The Lakers elected to move on from Vogel after three seasons, despite his leading them to a title in the NBA bubble and a record of 127–98, which paved the way for the team to bring in Ham.
Although Ham reached the Western Conference Finals in his first season with the team, he wasn’t given much of an opportunity to prove his worth over time, as he was fired after his second season following a first-round loss to the Denver Nuggets in the NBA playoffs.
Ham then decided to take another job as an assistant coach in the NBA by returning to the Bucks to join Doc Rivers’ coaching staff, a position he has held since June 2024.
As for the Pelicans, the team is simply looking for a boost in any way possible, as the season has gone off the rails despite having the talent to make some noise in the Western Conference.
New Orleans currently has Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, Herbert Jones, and Jordan Poole on its roster, along with some talented young players like Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen.
Despite having a roster with some potential, the Pelicans have been unable to put it together, and this will provide a substantial challenge for Ham or whoever the team decides to hire moving forward.