The New Orleans Pelicans have let go of Willie Green after a rocky start to the season, with a record of 2-10 after only 12 games.

Joe Dumars, the Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, announced that James Borrego, who previously coached the Charlotte Hornets, will step in as the interim coach. The Pelicans are scheduled to face the Golden State Warriors at home on Sunday.

“After careful evaluation, we have made the difficult decision to make a change at head coach,” Dumars stated. “I have the utmost respect for Willie Green, and I’m sincerely appreciative of his contributions to the Pelicans organization and the New Orleans community.”

Team owner Gayle Benson, facing mounting public pressure amid challenging seasons for both the Pelicans and the New Orleans Saints, has consistently praised Green but expressed trust in Dumars to make the best decisions for the franchise.

“I have tremendous admiration and respect for Willie Green, and I truly appreciate all he has done for our organization over the last few years,” Benson remarked. “This is a tough business and these are difficult decisions. My expectation is to be a winning team that competes for championships.”

Borrego has prior experience, having been the Hornets’ head coach for four seasons from 2018 to 2022 and serving as interim coach with the Orlando Magic during the 2014-15 season.

Hired in 2021 by former Pelicans basketball operations chief David Griffin, Green recorded a total of 150 wins and 190 losses over his tenure. His teams made the playoffs twice but suffered losses in the first round against the Phoenix Suns in 2022 and the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2024. The Pelicans qualified for the Western Conference play-in tournament in 2023 but were eliminated by Oklahoma City.

Green’s performance was compounded by frequent injuries sidelining star power forward Zion Williamson, the first overall draft pick from 2019, who has participated in only 134 of the 340 games coached by Green. Recently, Williamson has missed several games, including seven this season due to injuries.

Dumars, who took over for Griffin this year, had previously supported Green as he entered his last contracted season. However, the Pelicans began the new season with a six-game losing streak, including three losses by 30 points or more.

Despite a brief hope with two consecutive victories, the team has now lost four straight games, culminating in a 118-104 defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers during NBA Cup play.