Darvin Ham finalist for Pelicans
- New Orleans has Darvin Ham in its final group for the Pelicans’ head-coaching job, with Rajon Rondo, Steve Hetzel, and Sean Sweeney also under consideration. - Ham stands out as the only finalist with NBA head-coach experience after going 90-74 with the Lakers and reaching the 2023 Western Conference finals. - The search matters because the Pelicans fired Willie Green after a 2-10 start, and Joe Dumars now has to pick a direction.
The Pelicans are getting close to a coaching decision, and Darvin Ham is still firmly in the mix. New Orleans has narrowed its search to a final group that includes Ham, Rajon Rondo, Steve Hetzel, and Sean Sweeney. That matters because this is not just a bench hire — it is Joe Dumars choosing what kind of team the Pelicans want to be after a season that went off the rails. (hoopsrumors.com) ### Why is Ham in this mix? Ham gives New Orleans the cleanest “known quantity” option. He already did the hardest version of this job once — coaching a star-heavy, noisy franchise in Los Angeles — and came out of it with a 90-74 regular-season record, a conference finals trip in 2023, and an in-season tournament title in 2023-24 be(hoopsrumors.com) the most proof that he can run an NBA sideline. (985thesportshub.com) ### Who else is up against him? The interesting part is how different the other finalists are. Rondo is the swing-for-upside name — almost no head-coaching résumé, but real gravitas with players and a strong reputation as a basketball mind. Hetzel comes from the Nets’ staff and has apparently impressed early in the process. Sweeney bri(985thesportshub.com) words, Ham is competing against both upside bets and developmental bets. (hoopsrumors.com) ### Why did this opening become so important? Because New Orleans already hit the emergency button once. The Pelicans fired Willie Green on November 15, 2025 after a 2-10 start. James Borrego took over on an interim basis, but the team still decided to run a full search instead of just removing the interim tag. Basically, the franchise looked at the season and decided it needed more than a patch. It needed a reset. (nba.com) ### So what would Ham actually bring? Probably stability first. Ham’s teams have usually leaned into size, defensive accountability, and clear role definition. That may sound basic, but turns out “basic” is valuable for a Pelicans roster that has spent years bouncing between injury chaos, lineup changes, and identity drift. Ham is not the flashy hire in this field. He is the(nba.com)ilings. That is often attractive to a front office after a messy year. (985thesportshub.com) ### Why are people watching the finalists so closely? Because the finalist list itself tells you what Dumars may value. Two Bucks assistants in Ham and Rondo suggest interest in toughness and playoff credibility. Hetzel suggests player development. Sweeney suggests system discipline. If Ham wins the job, the read is pretty straightforw(985thesportshub.com)gful signal about how urgent the franchise thinks this reset is. (hoopsrumors.com) ### Is anything decided yet? No — and that is the catch. Reporting around the search says the Pelicans have been impressed with Ham and Hetzel, but nothing appears imminent. There is also still chatter that other names could enter the process, including recently available coaches. So Ham being a finalist is real news, but it is not the same thing as Ham being the favorite or the choice. (hoopswire.com) ### What’s the bottom line? Ham is in serious contention because he offers the safest proven path in a search full of projection. If the Pelicans want a coach who has already handled pressure, stars, and playoff expectations, he makes obvious sense. If they want a bolder identity shift, they may go another way. Either way, New Orleans has reached the stage where the shortlist is now the story. (hoopsrumors.com)
