The Orlando Magic fired head coach Jamahl Mosley after the franchise blew a 3-1 series lead over the Detroit Pistons in the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs. The exit came after three seasons of first-round exits for the Magic, an unacceptable outcome this season given how much the franchise invested in acquiring Desmond Bane last season as a third star next to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
Mosley was quickly hired as the new head coach for the New Orleans Pelicans, with the Magic’s search continuing. Their new coach will be expected to deliver winning results immediately, so they’ve been linked to veteran coaching options such as Billy Donovan, who can maximize what they can get from their versatile roster.
Jake Fischer is reporting on Marc Stein’s Substack that Donovan is considered the favorite to land the job, with current LA Clippers assistant Jeff Van Gundy also emerging as a candidate.
“While I always hesitate to frame any potential hire as the favorite for a job, since NBA matters can be so fluid, coaching insiders across the league’s landscape are very much operating under the belief that former Bulls coach Billy Donovan has an excellent shot at landing the post.”
“Sources confirmed that Donovan is in dialogue with Magic president Jeff Weltman and will have an in-person meeting with Orlando’s lead executive in the near future… Orlando has LA Clippers assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy on its radar as well. The defensive guru on Tyronn Lue’s staff is the brother, of course, of former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy.”
Donovan was No. 1 on our list of coaches that the Magic need to consider as a replacement for Mosley, with this natural fit seemingly leading to conversations already. Donovan recently resigned as head coach for the Chicago Bulls after the season, leading the franchise to a 226-256 record over six years. He also led the OKC Thunder (243–157 over five seasons, 2015-2020) during the end of the Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant era.
He’ll be a veteran name to help the Magic take the next step after becoming perennial first-round exits. Although Donovan had no Playoff success on the Bulls, everyone agrees that the issues in Chicago were more about the roster than the coaching, with some arguing that Donovan was overachieving instead of letting the franchise bottom out as tankers.
He’d join a team with a stronger roster in Orlando than anything he had on the Bulls, with Banchero already a 23-year-old All-NBA caliber player. There are major inconsistencies in his style of play, which a veteran coach like Donovan could help iron out.
Jeff Van Gundy is an interesting option, with the 64-year-old last serving as an NBA head coach in 2007 with the Houston Rockets. Van Gundy led the New York Knicks to the 1999 NBA Finals and is a veteran coach, although he’s definitely an unexpected candidate given how long it’s been since he last led an NBA roster. He’s currently an assistant coach on Tyronn Lue’s staff on the LA Clippers, joining at the start of the 2024 season to end a 17-year coaching hiatus.
If Van Gundy can adapt his philosophies to the modern NBA, he’d be a fascinating hire for the Magic. He’d be the second Van Gundy to lead the franchise, with his brother Stan leading the franchise to the 2009 NBA Finals during a five-year tenure as head coach (2007-2012).
