Billy Donovan is the clear favorite to become the next head coach of the Orlando Magic, following the firing of Jamahl Mosley after a disappointing playoff exit. Tom Thibodeau is also in the running for the position.
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There are three NBA head coaching openings, and the best one in terms of contending in the 2026-27 season is in Orlando. The Magic fired coach Jamahl Mosley on Monday after his club blew a 3-1 first-round series lead vs. the Detroit Pistons, the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Mosley had been on the job for five years and had led the team to three straight playoff appearances, so you can decide for yourself whether the move was warranted. But there's no doubt this year's club underachieved when it was supposed to contend in the Eastern Conference. Let's break down his possible replacements with a look at the favorites on Kalshi.
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Magic team president Jeff Weltman is apparently safe as he signed a contract extension earlier in the season and will lead the search for the next head coach. Weltman should have the pick of the litter because the Magic job is miles better right now than openings in Chicago and New Orleans, although those two clubs got a big head start in their searches.
Orlando has a very talented young group of 2022 No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane and former lottery picks Jalen Suggs, and . All five are under contract through at least next season.
Billy Donovan is currently the favorite to become the next head coach of the Orlando Magic.
Jamahl Mosley was fired after the team blew a 3-1 first-round playoff series lead against the Detroit Pistons.
The Orlando Magic are considering several candidates, with Billy Donovan and Tom Thibodeau being the top favorites.
Under Jamahl Mosley, the Orlando Magic made three straight playoff appearances but underachieved this season.
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"I don't think we look for a particular trait or a quality," Weltman told the Orlando Sentinel on Monday. "Coaches come in a lot of different shapes and sizes. Someone that kind of looks at our team in the way that we feel can help move us forward. Obviously, someone who understands where we are on our timeline, that we've kind of tried to get past the growth stages of the rebuild. … I don't have a box to say that we want the next coach to come out of this sort of box."
The Bulls have an opening because Donovan decided to step away from a rebuilding situation and he is easily taking the most Yes trades at Kalshi to be the next Magic coach. Here's a look at the current favorites and prices on Kalshi.
If you're thinking that Donovan was the Magic's coach once previously, you're sort of correct. The two-time national championship coach at Florida decided to leave Gainesville for the 110-mile drive or so to Orlando in late May 2007 after capturing that second title. A contract was signed and a press conference took place, but Donovan eventually had a change of heart and the Magic allowed him to return to Florida. Donovan had to agree to a five-year non-compete clause, keeping him from taking another NBA coaching position in that span. He eventually left Florida for Oklahoma City in 2015.
So, are there still hard feelings in Orlando after all this time? If Donovan wants to coach next season, the Magic on the surface would appear his best shot unless a surprise job opens (Houston?). Donovan was linked to the North Carolina job, but the Tar Heels opted for Mike Malone, who won an NBA title with Denver – or else Malone might be a popular candidate for this job, too.
You know what you will get with Thibs: Structure and defense. But he wears guys out by playing his starters way too many minutes and thus wears out his welcome at every stop. While Thibodeau hasn't won an NBA title as a head coach, his clubs usually do well in the regular season (Knicks, Bulls, Timberwolves).
The two-time NBA Coach of the Year would get all those young guys to play hard, that's for sure. Thibodeau is 68 and didn't coach this past season, so that might factor into any Magic decision.
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Sweeney is clearly an outlier on this list as he has never been a head coach anywhere, but he is a highly-regarded assistant under Mitch Johnson with the fast-rising San Antonio Spurs. Sweeney is only 41 years old, so perhaps he could relate to the young players a bit better.
I have not seen Sweeney linked to Orlando much, but he's a reported finalist for the New Orleans job along with Bucks assistant coaches Darvin Ham and Rajon Rondo and Nets assistant coach Steve Hetzel.
Michigan's May has taken some solid "Yes' trading action since Monday to move into the top four favorites on this list. May recently led the Wolverines to the national title in a dominant run and then got a big new contract extension.
An NBA team can top what Michigan would pay, but May has such a good thing going in Ann Arbor -- his club is one of the favorites to win it all in 2027. May also has zero ties to the Association in his career other than sending some of his players there.