The Orlando Magic saw their run in the 2026 NBA Playoffs come to an end on Sunday night when they lost a win-or-go-home Game 7 116-94 to the Detroit Pistons. The Magic were on the brink of making history as the seventh No. 8 seed to eliminate the No. 1 seed after taking a 3-1 series lead, but they couldn’t finish the job as the Pistons became the 14th team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 series deficit.
The Magic quickly took action by firing head coach Jamahl Mosley after a five-year tenure as head coach.
“We’re grateful to Jamahl (Mosley) for all he’s done for the Orlando Magic,” announced President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman. “We appreciate his leadership and the positive contributions he made as head coach. While this was a difficult decision, we feel it’s time for a new voice and fresh perspective. We wish Jamahl and his family nothing but the best.”
Mosley had a 189-221 record as the Magic’s head coach, leading the team to three consecutive first-round exits from the NBA Playoffs. The tension in the Magic’s locker room was clear after they lost the 7-8 Play-In Tournament game to the Charlotte Hornets, with their seven-game run in the Playoffs likely delaying the inevitable firing of Coach Mosley.
The franchise needs to quickly shift its attention to searching for a new head coach, with potential trade decisions also looming over its head. While they could wait till the end of the postseason to see if eligible candidates emerge from other teams that end up firing their coaches, there are plenty of eligible candidates right now that the Magic could pursue before more teams start searching for new coaches.
Here are three early candidates for the job who might help the Magic take a step forward in their contention window.
1. Billy Donovan
The Chicago Bulls missed the NBA Playoffs as the No. 12 seed in the East and saw their head coach, Billy Donovan, step away after a six-year tenure with the franchise. Donovan had a 226-256 record on the Bulls, leading the team to just one postseason appearance, which ended with a first-round exit. While there were questionable front office decisions that impacted the roster Donovan had, this wasn’t the most impressive spell for the former OKC Thunder head coach (2015-2020). He’s already been reported as one of the leading contenders for the role.
Arguments in favor of Donovan on the Magic would be the fact that he’s a veteran coach at both the NBA and NCAA levels, and commands respect from his locker room. The Bulls gave him awkwardly constructed rosters that didn’t fit well together, but he still maximized it by hovering near .500 almost every season. He’s also a proven difference-maker as an offensive mind, something the Magic desperately need after five years of Mosley’s defense-oriented coaching.
Donovan would be a stable choice for the Magic if they hope to take a step forward with a veteran coach for a young roster. Similar options like Tom Thibodeau wouldn’t provide the offensive touch this Magic roster needs. Donovan could help Paolo Banchero become a more efficient offensive option while balancing production between Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane, and the rest of the team. Donovan could also lead to a huge developmental boost for prospects like Anthony Black, especially given how he helped Josh Giddey unlock a new gear on the Bulls over the last two seasons.
If their only major move this offseason will be to hire a new coach, making Donovan the choice might give them the stability and marginal improvement they need to win their first Playoff series since 2010.
2. Terry Stotts
Golden State Warriors’ top assistant Terry Stotts might be able to return to being an NBA head coach this offseason, depending on how Steve Kerr handles his summer contract renewal amid rumors of a potential exit from the Warriors. Stotts might be in contention for the head coaching role on the Warriors, but he’ll have to explore his options in case the Warriors retain Kerr or hire a new face. The Magic would be an ideal destination for the former Portland Trail Blazers head coach, who hasn’t had a head coaching role since he and Portland mutually parted ways in 2021.
Stotts had a 402–318 record over nine seasons with the Blazers, leading the franchise to eight consecutive NBA Playoff appearances. He organized one of the most exciting offenses in the NBA with Damian Lillard as his point guard, but he will have to adjust to a new reality if he joins the Magic. This will be a team with all the defensive support Stotts needs in terms of personnel, with his offensive expertise having the opportunity to make a huge difference in the end results for Orlando.
Hiring Stotts would likely mean the end for Jalen Suggs as the team’s starting point guard, with Stotts likely preferring the more offensively versatile Anthony Black for a full season as the team’s starter. This would be great for Wagner and Banchero, with Stotts likely finding a more amenable offensive solution that highlights both his star forwards’ strengths. He did that with the Lillard-McCollum backcourt in Portland, but this will be a different challenge.
Stotts is another veteran option that could help stabilize the Magic locker room and add an offensive spark to their game plan. Hiring him might mean waiting until the Warriors’ coaching search is over, but it might be worth it if Stotts remains available.
3. Tiago Splitter
Portland Trail Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter wasn’t expected to lead the franchise to the NBA Playoffs after hastily taking over the team because of Chauncey Billups’ federal gambling investigation. Splitter stepped in and led the team to a 42-40 record and their first Playoff appearance since the departure of the aforementioned coach Stotts after the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
Splitter has proven himself as a capable NBA head coach, finding ways to maximize the pieces on the Blazers roster by empowering the likes of Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, and Donovan Clingan. The Magic have the defensive pieces that Splitter would make good use of alongside a versatile frontcourt duo like Banchero and Wagner. Similar to Donovan and Stotts, Splitter could rejuvenate the team’s offense by deploying his high movement style to maximize opportunities for a stale Magic offense.
This is a riskier option for the Magic, given Splitter isn’t a veteran head coach like the other two options, but it might have a higher return. Splitter could mold his coaching career alongside the young Magic core, with both parties potentially needing each other to win their first Playoff series.
The Trail Blazers’ ownership reportedly doesn’t want to pay their head coach a competitive salary, so Splitter might be open to leveraging his one season with the Blazers into a similarly exciting opportunity. Instead of doing more with less in the competitive Western Conference with the Blazers, the Magic could allow Splitter to help elevate them to the next level. His strategies are more experimental but match where the modern NBA is headed, so this will be an option the Magic can’t afford to overlook.
![Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley during the first quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Kia Center.[Mike Watters-Imagn Images]](https://fadeawayworld.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Jamahl-Mosley-615x410.jpg)
