New Orleans Pelicans fire head coach Willie Green just three weeks into the new NBA season

Willie Green is out as the head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans just three weeks into the new NBA season.

The team has started 2-10 and Green was courtside on Friday night for an NBA Cup loss to the Los Angeles Lakers - seemingly the final straw for the team's owners.

As first reported by NBA insider Chris Haynes, Green has now been relieved of his duties - after making the playoffs in two of his four seasons with the team.

He will be replaced by assistant James Borrego as the interim head coach, according to sources close to the team. 

Injuries have decimated the Pelicans' roster in the last few years, making Green's first head coaching job a tough task.

The 44-year-old was previously an assistant coach on the Warriors and Suns, winning back-to-back championships with the former in 2017 and 2018, before he joined New Orleans in July 2021.

After a 1-12 start to the season, Green took the Pelicans to a 36-46 record, good enough for a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament, which they then turned into a playoff spot proper, eventually losing to the Suns in six games in the First Round.

New Orleans then missed the playoffs in 2022-23, but were back the following year with a 49-33 record. They again lost in the first round, getting swept by Oklahoma City.

2024-25 was something of a disaster, with the Pelicans finishing with a 21-61 record.

Green's exit comes after an NBA record three 30-point losses in the Pelicans' first six games.

He had also sparked fans' frustrations with his reluctance to use star rookie Derik Queen in a meaningful way. 

Per CBS Sports, he has largely played between 10 and 20 minutes per game, and the team's front office are keen to see more from him.

New interim coach Borrego was a target for the Knicks over the offseason, but the Pelicans refused New York permission to speak to him about their then-vacant assistant position.