New Orleans Pelicans

Former New Orleans Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy said he had a difference of opinion with executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin on what should be prioritized within the organization, which led to his dismissal after one season.

Van Gundy told The Dan Le Batard Show (via Christian Clark of NOLA.com) that his focus was on the court, whereas Griffin placed a greater priority on relationships.

"I felt the focus should be what went on on the court," Van Gundy said. "What was good. What was bad. All of that. I think that Griff was more concerned with the atmosphere around the team and the happiness of people and things like that. That was probably the biggest difference. If I would've gone into a meeting, 'Hey, you were 31-41, and that's not good enough,' I've got no problem with that. That's what we sign up for in this business. Regardless of circumstances, that's what we sign up for in this business. But that's not what it came down to or at least what I heard. We look at things totally differently in terms of what's important."

Of course, this is an easy situation to parse: Players reportedly did not enjoy playing for Van Gundy, and Griffin moved on in part to keep the locker room happy. This likely wouldn't have been an issue if the Pelicans were successful, but they finished 31-41 after many expected them to make the playoffs.

Winning and relationship building are two components of coaching in the NBA, particularly in a small market. There have already been whispers about Zion Williamson's future with New Orleans, and he's not even on his second contract.

It's unclear if Williamson and Van Gundy had a contentious relationship, but the odds are that the coach would be returning if they had been on strong terms.

Phoenix Suns assistant Willie Green and Milwaukee Bucks assistant Charles Lee have emerged as "prominent candidates" for the New Orleans Pelicans' head coaching vacancy, according to the New York Times' Marc Stein.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported Lee also remains in the hunt for the Washington Wizards' gig.

On June 25, NOLA.com's Christian Clark reported Lee and Brooklyn Nets assistant Jacque Vaughn were "viewed as the strongest contenders" for the job. However, Vaughn took himself out of the running days later, with Wojnarowski reporting he preferred to stay with the Nets.

Lee earned his first NBA job with the Atlanta Hawks in 2014-15 at age 30. He spent four years in Atlanta before following Mike Budenholzer to Milwaukee ahead of the 2018-19 season.

Green played in the NBA for 12 years before making his transition to the sideline. He joined the Golden State Warriors' staff in 2016 and took a position with the Suns after Monty Williams was hired in 2019.

In Stan Van Gundy, the Pelicans brought in what appeared to be a pair of safe hands given his experience and track record in the league. Instead, the 61-year-old didn't seem to mesh with the franchise's young roster.

It's probably not a coincidence that Lee and Green are both under 40 since either candidate might be better positioned to connect with the Pelicans players.

Because of the presence of Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, New Orleans is an attractive gig. The organization also has a stockpile of draft picks that can help land another marquee star. 

That all raises the bar for whoever is hired, though. The front office is under a similar level of pressure since it's moving to a third head coach in as many years.

Stan Van Gundy was fired last month after just one season as head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans, but he doesn't believe superstar forward Zion Williamson had anything to do with it.

Appearing on the STUpodity podcast (h/t ESPN's Andrew Lopez), Van Gundy said the following about his departure and his relationship with Williamson:

"I hate when it gets put on players that players are getting coaches fired and things like that. I think that makes players look bad and I don't think that's fair. Players certainly have the right to express their opinion to people and things like that but front offices and owners make decisions and they are the ones who make decisions to fire people. That should never be placed on players.

"I know this, regardless of what happened in that regard, Zion's no coach killer. He's a guy who is gonna help you win a lot of games. He plays the game the right way. One of the things I'll miss is the opportunity to continue to coach him. He's so unique in the way that he plays the game and the things that he can do, it really gets your mind spinning as a coach and you have a lot of possibilities in what you can do with him. That was fun to explore. I'm happy with what we did with Zion. I think we helped him. How anyone else felt about that would be up to them."

Williamson made strides during his second NBA season and earned his first career All-Star nod, but the Pels struggled as a team, going just 31-41 and missing the playoffs.

The 20-year-old Williamson was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, and he put up some impressive numbers as a rookie, averaging 22.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 24 games under then-head coach Alvin Gentry.

New Orleans hired Van Gundy prior to the 2020-21 season, and Zion elevated his play with averages of 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 61.1 percent from the floor.

The Pelicans also got great play out of Brandon Ingram (23.8 PPG) this season, but there wasn't enough production from the rest of the roster to make them true playoff contenders.

Despite that fact that Williamson took another leap forward individually this season, there were reports of unhappiness after New Orleans was officially eliminated from the playoff race.

Shams Charania, Joe Vardon and William Guillory of The Athletic reported last month that some members of Williamson's family expressed displeasure with Van Gundy and the Pelicans as a whole.

The family members reportedly felt Van Gundy was "too rigid and demanding as head coach," and some reportedly wanted Zion to leave the Pelicans organization altogether.

There was no mention in the report of Williamson expressing similar feelings, and Van Gundy doubled down on the notion that there were no issues between him and Zion:

"I don't know anything about that. In my mind, I liked coaching Zion. I had a good relationship with him. I had no problem. I think we elevated his platform that we gave him. We put him in different situations, had him handling the ball a lot, playing a lot of point guard. I think we did some good things with him.

"If they were unhappy, I didn't hear about it. Zion was unhappy with us not winning more games, but Zion never expressed to me any of that. That doesn't mean he wasn't unhappy, it's possible that they were unhappy with me and that's what led to the change."

The Pelicans have missed the playoffs in each of Williamson's first two seasons with the team, and he is set to play for his third head coach in three seasons.

Prior to joining the Pels, Van Gundy was a successful NBA head coach with the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons. He reached the playoffs eight times in 12 seasons with those teams and took the Magic all the way to the NBA Finals in 2009.

There was some hope he would be able to accomplish something similar in New Orleans, but it ultimately wasn't a good fit, and the Pelicans are back on the hunt for a head coach who will mesh ideally with their superstar player.

New Orleans Pelicans point guard Lonzo Ball reportedly has the New York Knicks on his "radar" as he prepares to become a restricted free agent this offseason.

Marc Berman of the New York Post reported Saturday the Knicks are also a preferred destination for Ball's father, LaVar, who'd like to have "all his sons on Broadway."

The Toronto Raptors' Kyle Lowry, an impending unrestricted free agent, is another potential option at the point since he's "wanted to be a Knick" in the past, per Berman.

Ball is coming off the most complete season of his four-year NBA career after averaging a career-high 14.6 points along with 5.7 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals across 55 appearances for the Pelicans. While he shot just 41.4 percent from the field, he knocked down a rock-solid 37.8 percent of his threes.

His improvement at both ends of the floor allowed him to rank third among all point guards in ESPN's real plus-minus behind only the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry and Portland Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard.

While New Orleans will have the opportunity to match any offer sheet Ball receives in free agency, his outspoken father has made it clear he'd like his son to get a fresh start elsewhere since before the NBA trade deadline in March.

LaVar said during an appearance on ESPN Radio (via Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News) leading up to the deadline his son "can't stay in New Orleans" because of how the franchise changed his role.

"Lonzo has always been a playmaker. Why are you trying to change him into a defensive specialist to stay in the corner and shoot threes?" LaVar said. "And you're trying to change Zion [Williamson] and Brandon Ingram, who all throughout their career have never been playmakers? They're scorers. Now you want to put the ball in their hand? C'mon man."

It's unclear whether his opinion could change once the Pelicans hire a new head coach after the firing of Stan Van Gundy at season's end, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see New Orleans shake up its roster after falling well short of expectations with a 31-41 record.

Meanwhile, the question when it comes to Lowry is whether the Knicks are the right fit for a 35-year-old six-time All-Star who'll likely be hunting championships during the latter stages of his career.

"He's better suited for a title contender—and that's not the Knicks," an NBA source told Berman.

That said, Lowry averaged 17.2 points, 7.3 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 2.8 threes in 46 games for the Raptors this season and would represent a major short-term upgrade for New York at the point.

The Knicks have been searching for an offensive general for years, and it's once again the top priority after a year where the team made a lot of progress, led by Julius Randle. The good news for the front office is that there are no shortage of options this summer either via trade, free agency or the draft.

New Orleans Pelicans wing Josh Hart apparently isn't interested in a move to the Detroit Pistons.

In response to a fan tweeting a Photoshopped picture of him in a Pistons uniform, Hart tweeted, "Na."

Hart is set to become a restricted free agent this offseason and could be on the move after two seasons with the Pels.

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reported June 11 that Hart "would like a fresh start" rather than returning to New Orleans next season.

After spending the first two years of his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, the former Villanova standout was traded to the Pelicans as part of the deal that sent Anthony Davis to L.A.

Hart averaged a career-high 10.1 points and 1.9 three-pointers made in 2019-20 while also recording 6.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game and shooting 42.3 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from beyond the arc.

Injuries limited Hart to 47 games this season, but he was a useful player when healthy. His scoring dropped off a bit to 9.2 points and 1.3 three-pointers made per contest, but he also set new career highs with 8.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.

Hart shot better from the floor at 43.9 percent, but his 32.6 percent accuracy from deep was a career worst.

Still just 26, the 2017 first-round pick may still have some untapped potential that could be unlocked elsewhere.

The Pistons are coming off a 20-52 season and have made the playoffs just twice in the past 12 seasons, but things are looking up.

After winning the 2021 NBA draft lottery, the Pistons will have the chance to add an elite prospect to their roster, such as Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham.

If he were interested in the move, Hart would join an up-and-coming group of players that includes Jerami Grant, Saddiq Bey, Hamidou Diallo, Isaiah Stewart and Killian Hayes.

If Hart is out on going to a Pistons team that could make major strides next season, perhaps a homecoming of sorts for the Silver Spring, Maryland, native with the Washington Wizards would appeal. Another option could be the team that plays in the city where he attended college, the Philadelphia 76ers.

Brooklyn Nets assistant coach Jacque Vaughn is reportedly "gaining traction" as a candidate to fill the New Orleans Pelicans' head coaching vacancy.

"I'm not saying he's gonna get the job because Charles Lee on the Bucks' staff is also, I think, gonna be a strong candidate, but the word out of Chicago at the draft combine is that Jacque Vaughn, who is close to [Pelicans general manager] Trajan Langdon ... is gonna get a real serious look," ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported Friday on The Hoop Collective podcast.

Vaughn spent 12 seasons in the NBA with five different teams. He finished his career in 2009 as a member of the San Antonio Spurs and quickly made the transition to coaching as a member of the Spurs' staff under Gregg Popovich in 2010.

He previously served as head coach of the Orlando Magic for two-plus seasons beginning with the 2012-13 campaign. He compiled a 58-158 record with no playoff appearances.

The 46-year-old Los Angeles native served as the Nets' interim head coach last season following the resignation of Kenny Atkinson. He guided Brooklyn to a 7-3 record to finish the regular season, but the team was swept in the opening round of the postseason by the Toronto Raptors.

Vaughn was a carry over to the Nets' new coaching staff led by Steve Nash this season.

"I think Jacque's qualities speak for themselves," Nash told reporters in September. "He is an incredibly high-character individual, extremely hard-working, prepared, and he is an all-around top human being so to have people like that to work with every day is incredible."

The Pelicans are searching for a new head coach after Stan Van Gundy was fired earlier this month after just one season.

New Orleans was expected to take a step forward this season led by a core of Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball, but it failed to keep pace in the loaded Western Conference, missing the playoffs with a 31-41 record.

One of the biggest tasks for the next head coach will be building a relationship with Williamson, the face of the franchise after being selected with the first overall pick in the 2019 draft.

A report from The Athletic last week noted there's concern that "thinly veiled unhappiness" from the superstar forward's family may have "seeped into the player's own views."

The Pelicans haven't provided a timetable for completing their coaching search.

As the New Orleans Pelicans continue their search for a new head coach, two prominent assistant coaches are reportedly going to meet with the team. 

Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pelicans have received permission to interview Jacque Vaughn of the Brooklyn Nets and Charles Lee of the Milwaukee Bucks. 

After Stan Van Gundy's firing on June 16, Wojnarowski reported New Orleans' list of potential replacements included Vaughn, Lee, Nets assistant Ime Udoka and Lakers assistant Jason Kidd. 

All four of those candidates were also considered by the Pelicans last year before the team ultimately decided to hire Van Gundy. 

Vaughn has previous head coaching experience on his resume. He took over the Nets on an interim basis in March 2020 after Kenny Atkinson stepped down. 

Nets head coach Steve Nash retained Vaughn as an assistant for the 2020-21 season. The 46-year-old has been a member of Brooklyn's coaching staff for the past five seasons. 

Prior to joining the Nets, Vaughn went 65-161 in 226 games as head coach of the Orlando Magic from 2012-15. The former point guard became an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs in 2010 after his 12-year playing career ended.  

Lee has been one of Mike Budenholzer's top lieutenants dating back to their time together with the Atlanta Hawks. The 36-year-old is in his third season as a Bucks assistant after working with the Hawks from 2014-18. 

There's a lot riding on the Pelicans front office getting this coaching hire right. This will be the franchise's third different head coach in three seasons. Van Gundy succeeded Alvin Gentry, who was in charge for five seasons.

Shams Charania, Joe Vardon and William Guillory of The Athletic reported last week that some members of Zion Williamson's family would like to see the 20-year-old play for a different organization. 

There was no indication in the report that Williamson shares the feelings of his family members at this point. 

Van Gundy led the Pelicans to a 31-41 record this season. They finished 11th in the Western Conference standings and missed the play-in tournament. 

Rapper Master P has thrown his hat into the ring as a candidate for the New Orleans Pelicans's new head coach following the dismissal of Stan Van Gundy after the team failed to qualify for the 2021 NBA playoffs.

Master P, real name Percy Miller, told TMZ Sports in an interview released Tuesday he's serious about the gig as a New Orleans native who had preseason stints as a player with the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors in the late 1990s, and who's also gained coaching experience at the AAU level.

"I played in the NBA. I done coached a lot of great players that are in the league," Master P said. "I done took my sons from being high school athletes to maybe they'll be the next future big-time pro athletes. ... If they bring me in as a head coach or assistant coach, I think I can change the game!"

The Pelicans entered the season with high expectations thanks to a core led by Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball along with a solid supporting cast. The team never found its footing, however, finishing with a 31-41 record, and Van Gundy was let go after just one season.

A report from The Athletic on Thursday suggested "certain family members want Williamson on another team," and there's concern within the organization about whether those "feelings seeped into the player's own views."

So finding a coach who can help keep Williamson happy, a process that likely starts with winning more and becoming a legitimate contender in the loaded Western Conference, is crucial this offseason.

Master P believes he's the right person at the right time to fix what's ailed the Pelicans since taking Zion with the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft.

"We'll win, and Zion will be happy," he told TMZ. "... I feel like it's motivating the players and understanding them. That's the most important thing."

The famed musician pointed toward the Jacksonville Jaguars' signing of former quarterback Tim Tebow as an example of thinking outside the box.

"You look at Tim Tebow, they brought him to play as a tight end because they looking at times is changing," Master P said. "The NBA is entertainment. I think it's time for me to be the first hip-hop coach."

He's a long shot in the Pelicans' hunt for a head coach, but the franchise may benefit from getting him more involved in the organization given his connection to the city and his passion for the sport.

The New Orleans Pelicans may not be the New Orleans Pelicans for much longer.

According to John Hollinger of The Athletic, the Pelicans are "the most likely team to seek relocation in the coming decade." 

The team's lease in New Orleans only runs through 2024. Hollinger noted Pelicans governor Gayle Benson is "deeply connected to New Orleans and not currently seeking to sell, but losing money while finishing in the lottery has not been an enjoyable side venture to the main business of running the Saints."

Frankly, it hasn't been a banner week for the Pelicans. 

First, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Andrew Lopez reported the team fired head coach Stan Van Gundy after a single season. New Orleans went 31-41 under Van Gundy and missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season despite having a talented roster featuring Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball.

Then, Shams Charania, Joe Vardon and William Guillory of The Athletic reported some of Zion's family members "want Williamson on another team."

According to The Athletic, some teams are monitoring "Williamson's family members' thinly veiled unhappiness with the Pelicans and whether those feelings seeped into the player's own views."

Williamson is the current and future franchise cornerstone for the Pelicans, so losing him would be a significant blow and make the team less attractive for fans and sponsors in the New Orleans area.

For now, the Pelicans are a step behind many of the other Western Conference contenders despite the presence of Williamson and Ingram.

The former is preparing to play for a third head coach in his third NBA season, and discussions about whether the franchise will even stay in New Orleans won't generate much of a sense of stability either.

Zion Williamson is set to play for his third different head coach in three seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, and some members of his family are reportedly looking to get the 20-year-old superstar away from the organization. 

Per Shams Charania, Joe Vardon and William Guillory of The Athletic, certain members of his family "want Williamson on another team."

The report also noted that sources around the NBA are paying close attention to "Williamson's family members' thinly veiled unhappiness with the Pelicans and whether those feelings seeped into the player's own views."

Despite the apparent unhappiness from some members of Williamson's family, it was reported that people who know the Pelicans star well "say he just wants to win" and "remains focused on basketball and helping New Orleans win next season."

Stan Van Gundy is described as one of the "targets of criticism" from Williamson's family for being "too rigid and demanding as head coach." 

The Pelicans solved that problem Wednesday by announcing a parting of ways with Van Gundy after a 31-41 record this season. 

New Orleans hired Van Gundy in October to replace Alvin Gentry, who was fired after going 30-42 in 2019-20. 

There were some issues in New Orleans that became public during the season. JJ Redick, who the Pelicans traded to the Dallas Mavericks in March, said on his podcast not long after the deal that he doesn't trust the Pelicans front office for how it handled his situation. 

"Truthfully ... I think I was a little naive thinking I was in Year 15 and I attempted to do things right throughout my career. But in terms of this front office, yeah, it's not something where I would expect certainly the agents who worked on this with me to ever trust that front office again."

ESPN's Brian Windhorst (h/t NBC Sports' Dan Feldman) reported in February that Redick wanted to be traded to a team in the Northeast, close to where he has a family home. 

Per The Athletic, Williamson took note of Redick's comments about New Orleans' front office because it "stoked some of (his) own feelings with regards to the direction of the franchise."

The Pelicans still have Williamson under team control for at least three more seasons, assuming they don't agree to an extension when he's eligible to sign one next summer and extend him a qualifying offer after the 2022-23 season. 

Williamson was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft. He has averaged 25.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in 85 starts for the Pelicans over the past two seasons.