Ranking the 4 current NBA head coach openings and predicting who fills them

The Orlando Magic firing Jamahl Mosley created a fourth open head coaching position — along with the Chicago Bulls, who parted ways with Billy Donovan, and the Pelicans and Trail Blazers who are shopping for long-term replacements for their interim head coaches. All four of these teams are in vastly different positions, but which job is the most appealing, and who could fill these openings? 

4. Trail Blazers: Jared Dudley 

The Portland Trail Blazers are a tricky evaluation, and frankly, they shouldn't have an opening to begin with. Tiago Splitter did a splendid job taking over for Chauncey Billups in October, leading the Blazers to a surprise playoff run as a No. 7 seed. 

Nonetheless, new owner Tom Dundon is determined to save money in any way possible, including paying less than $1.5 million for a new head coach. This target is around the mark of top assistants and far less than what you'd expect to pay for a head coach. Unfortunately, this could take Splitter out of the running. 

Despite the Blazers being well-positioned to replicate their successful season with a young roster and Damian Lillard returning to action, Dundon makes the job totally undesirable. 

As such, it's difficult to pinpoint candidates for this job. However, Houston's Royal Ivey and Denver's Jared Dudley have been mentioned as cheaper targets. Of the two, Dudley has less experience, so the Blazers could sign him on a cheaper deal. Congratulations, Mr. Dundon, you can save some money. 

3. Pelicans: Darvin Ham

The New Orleans Pelicans have a lot of solid young pieces, including Derik Queen, Jeremiah Fears, and Trey Murphy III. However, the front office has been flat-out incompetent recently, and all signs point to them holding on to Zion Williamson despite his immense injury history and his odd fit next to Queen. This puts whoever the new coach is in a tough situation. 

Currently, Steve Hetzel, Rajon Rondo, Darvin Ham, and James Borrego, who served as the interim coach this season, are known candidates for the Pelicans job. 

Listen, I think the Pelicans should commit to a rebuild and favor a developmental coach like Borrego or Hetzel. However, the Pelicans' front office has consistently shown that they think this team is in a win-now position, which could make Ham the most likely candidate. He had some success with the Lakers but lasted just two seasons there before returning to the Bucks as an assistant for the past two seasons.

2. Bulls: Micah Nori

The Chicago Bulls finally committed to a full rebuild at the trade deadline, but this left them with a very limited roster. Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey are their lone two long-term building blocks. 

Luckily, they have all of their future draft picks and a ton of cap space this offseason. Yet, this year's free agency class doesn't have many needle movers that the Bulls could realistically land. As such, whoever takes this job will have to be prepared for this to be a long-term rebuilding project. 

Last week, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported that Minnesota Timberwolves general manager Matt Lloyd is the considered frontrunner to land the Bulls' lead executive job, and if Lloyd is hired, he could bring Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori with him. Nori has been praised for his offensive schemes and ability to build connections with players. Thus, he could be perfect for an upstart Bulls squad. 

Of all the open head coaching jobs, this one seems to be the one we have the most clarity on. 

1. Magic: Billy Donovan

The Magic are by far the most appealing head coaching opening. Orlando's talent is undeniable with Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, and Desmond Bane. In a weaker Eastern Conference, the Magic could feasibly make the leap to a legitimate contender with a more creative offensive mind and some roster tweaks. As is, they took the No. 1-seeded Detroit Pistons to seven games. 

Shortly after Mosley was relieved of his duties, Josh Robbins of The Athletic noted that Billy Donovan is a prime candidate. As the Magic attempt to make a jump to true contention, getting an established head coach is logical. 

Donovan has experience dealing with championship expectations during his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he won two national championships at the University of Florida before that. While Donovan has coached the middling Bulls since 2020, he's shown impressive modern schemes and has emphasized 3-point shooting. 

By all accounts, Donovan seems like an ideal fit for the Magic. 

More NBA news and analysis:

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow