Report: Nets assistant coach Steve Hetzel interviews for Pelicans job

The Brooklyn Nets are coming off one of the worst seasons in franchise history as they finished the 2025-26 campaign with a 20-62 record, giving them the third-worst record in the league. Despite the fact that Brooklyn had such a disappointing season, the team signed the entire coaching staff to contract extensions. One of the assistant coaches could be looking for his next opportunity, however.

Nets assistant coach Steve Hetzel recently conducted an interview for the New Orleans Pelicans' vacant head-coaching job, according to a report on Monday from The Athletic's Will Guillory. This follows a report from NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer that the Pelicans had begun reaching out to candidates to fill the position, including Hetzel.

Hetzel, an assistant on head coach Jordi Fernandez's coaching staff, should presumably be on the bench next to Fernandez for the 2026-27 season, but this report indicates that Hetzel is starting to gain interest from other teams. Hetzel has been working in the NBA since the 2005-2006 season when he was an assistant video coordinator for the San Antonio Spurs under legendary head coach Gregg Popovich.

After being the video coordinator for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2006 to 2009, Hetzel was hired by the Detroit Pistons as a player development coach, where he served in that role until 2013. Hetzel served as head coach for the then-D League's Canton Charge during the 2013-14 season before becoming an assistant coach for the Charlotte Hornets in 2014.