Recently, the New Orleans Pelicans fired head coach Willie Green amid their disastrous 2-11 start to the 2025-26 NBA season. The Pelicans entered this season with the pressure on after trading their first round pick this past June, and so far, it's looking like they may have given up a potentially hugely valuable asset.
Now, reports are surfacing about Green's dynamic with some of his players in the locker room.
“Green’s messaging had also become stale with Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III after playing for Green his entire Pelicans tenure as coach, league sources added. In addition, some players and members of the organization felt Green didn’t hold Zion Williamson accountable enough during his coaching tenure, sources said,” reported Michael Scotto of Hoopshype.
Murphy III got off to a bit of a rough start to this season after an outstanding year in 2024-25, but has since rebounded a bit. Meanwhile, Williamson has been in and out of the lineup due to injury, which of course has become a familiar theme throughout his tenure in New Orleans.
Overall, it remains to be seen who the Pelicans will hire to be their long term coach moving forward. As of now, the interim spot has been occupied by James Borrego, who has previously been a head coach in the NBA. As previously mentioned, the Pelicans traded their pick swap with the Bucks in 2026 to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for the right to move up and draft Derik Queen this past draft, so New Orleans really can't afford to be anywhere near as bad as they are right now.
Sitting at 2-11, it's very hard to envision the Pelicans getting back in the mix in the crowded Western Conference playoff picture, and things don't get any easier on Monday night, as they are set to host the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder. That game will tip off at 8:00 pm ET.
