Sometimes within the next week or so, Joe Dumars will make the most important decision he’s had to make since taking over as New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations.
Dumars will decide who will be the Pelicans’ next head coach.
The person he chooses will shape the immediate future of the franchise.
It’ll be the team’s fourth head coach since Zion Williamson was drafted by the Pels in 2019, following Alvin Gentry, Stan Van Gundy and Willie Green. It’ll be the fifth coach if you include James Borrego, who served as interim coach this season after Dumars fired Green 12 games into the season.
Borrego is a candidate for the job.
According to sources close to the search, Borrego is one of the four candidates who have emerged as the front runners to land the job. He joins a list that includes Rajon Rondo, Steve Hetzel and Darvin Ham. The best guess here is Rondo and Hetzel are at the top of the list.
Rondo, a former standout point guard in the league, played the 2017-18 season with the Pelicans. That season was one of only two times in franchise history the Pelicans won a playoff series, sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round before losing to the Golden State Warriors in the second round.
Hetzel, meanwhile, just finished his second season as an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets.
Ham spent the past two seasons as an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Here’s a look at the pros and cons of each candidate.
Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Rajon Rondo looks on during an NBA basketball game against the Brooklyn Nets, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
Aaron Gash
Rondo
Cons: Coaching experience. Rondo has the least coaching experience of any of the four candidates. His only experience has been the past two seasons as a special assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks under Doc Rivers.
Pros: His time as an elite point guard in the league could translate well to being a coach. His leadership during his one season playing for the Pelicans was undeniable. He was pretty much a coach on the floor when he played. Players in the league respect him for what he accomplished in his playing days when he made four All-Star games, one third-team All-NBA selection and two NBA titles. There has been some precedent for former players, particularly guards, transitioning from player to coach. Jason Kidd, Steve Kerr and JJ Redick adjusted just fine. Oh, and Dumars wants toughness. Rondo could instill that and get the most out of his team. The Pelicans haven’t really had the type of leadership in the locker room since Rondo’s one season in New Orleans. One more thing. Of the names listed, a Rondo hire is the one that probably fires up the fanbase the most.
Brooklyn Nets assistant coach Steve Hetzel calls a timeout during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)
Heather Khalifa
Hetzel
Cons: Like Rondo, Hetzel has never been a head coach. Hetzel isn’t a household name among casual fans, so he won’t fire up the fanbase like Rondo would. But….
Pros: Although he’s never been in the lead chair, he’s been around the NBA since the 2009 season when he started as an assistant video coordinator for Gregg Popovich with the San Antonio Spurs. He’s climbed the ladder from that position to player development coach to assistant. It helps that he spent four seasons in Detroit while Dumars was the Pistons’ president of basketball operations. That familiarity goes a long way, which is why Dumars still has Hetzel on his radar. His climb up the coaching ranks is similar to that of Phoenix Suns coach Jordan Ott, who also cut his teeth in the NBA as a video coordinator. Ott got the Suns to the playoffs in his first season. Hetzel is said to be a good motivator.
New Orleans Pelicans coach James Borrego yells during the first half of a game against the New York Knicks on Tuesday in New York.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY PAMELA SMITH
Borrego
Cons: For some, seeing Borrego’s 24-46 record as interim coach this season would be just be sticking to the status quo.
Pros: The obvious one is Borrego has more head coaching experience than any of the other guys on this list. He spent four seasons as head coach of the Charlotte Hornets. He basically coached a full season this year with the Pelicans (70) games) as an interim coach and also served as an interim coach with the Orlando Magic in the 2014-’15 season. Borrego’s Pelicans showed signs of the toughness Dumars desires, especially when the team was at full strength. The Pels went 10-5 during a healthy stretch after the All-Star break. It helps that Borrego is familiar with the team, which could make for an easier transition. Especially with him getting to lead the team through a training camp.
Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham yells from the sidelines to players during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Tuesday, March 14, 2023. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
STAFF PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER
Ham
Cons: Ham lasted just two seasons as a head coach with the Los Angeles Lakers. Some say he lost the locker room and others questioned his X’s and O’s during his time there.
Pros: Ham had success in L.A., leading the Lakers to the Western Conference finals in his first season and to the playoffs again his second season. He went 43-39 in his first season and 47-35 the second season. A former player, Ham got his first NBA coaching gig as an assistant in 2011. Ham played two seasons for the Detroit Pistons when Dumars was the president of basketball operations there. So that familiarity could help.
But Dumars made it clear in his season-ending session with the media that he wouldn’t base his hire on relationships.
“We are going to figure out what’s best for New Orleans,” Dumars said. “That’s the only thing I’m really concerned about. You can have someone you know for a long time that’s a possible candidate and you have a great relationship with them. But what if they are not good for the players. The idea that you know someone and that makes them a candidate? Yeah, that may be good for me personally, but I’m not playing (in the NBA) anymore. You have to find out who is right for these15 guys in that building. That’s the only thing that matters.”