The Orlando Magic are not expected to name a new head coach today, according to Orlando Sentinel sources. However, the team appears to be close to hiring Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Jamahl Mosley, according to ESPN’s NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski, who reported the Mosley news Thursday night.
The Magic, though, have not budged in breaking the silence on the coaching search and/or who the candidates are. According to Sentinel sources, the team is not expected to make any imminent announcements.
Mosley, the former top assistant coach to Rick Carlisle in Dallas, was thought to be a candidate to replace Carlisle, who resigned June 17, and was quickly hired by the Indiana Pacers. Mosley was skipped over in the Mavericks coaching search and the team opted to go with former Dallas star Jason Kidd.
If hired in Orlando, Mosley would be the 15th head coach in the 32 seasons of the franchise, replacing Steve Clifford, who mutually parted ways with the team on June 5.
The Mavericks were in a bit of turmoil this season, and Dallas All-Star Luka Doncic made no secret of the fact that he would not mind seeing Mosley take over the reins in Dallas. Mosley was the interim head coach when Carlisle contracted COVID-19 during a portion of this past season.
After Mosley’s stint as interim coach, Doncic said, “He’s got the things that are needed for a head coach. He can be the head coach, for sure.”
Mosley played at the University of Colorado (1997-2001), where he scored 1,171 career points. He had a couple of stints playing overseas but did not play in the NBA. He also coached with the Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers before joining the Mavs in 2014.
It appeared the Magic had been leaning toward possibly hiring Denver assistant Wes Unseld Jr., who has emerged as the frontrunner to be hired as head coach for the Washington Wizards, the franchise for which his father starred when the team was the Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets. The elder Unseld, who was also general manager of the Wizards until 2013, died in June 2020 after a long illness.
The Magic’s expediency in replacing Clifford will give them a chance to bring a new coach up to speed and get him in tune with expectations for the July 29 NBA Draft. The Magic have an opportunity to start off their rebuilding phase by making a big splash in the draft with two picks in the Top 10 at No. 5 and No. 8. They also have selection No. 33 of the 60-pick draft.
Interestingly, Mosley coached at Dallas with fellow assistant Darrell Armstrong, the longtime Magic fan favorite who played nine seasons (1994-2003) for Orlando and was the main reason the Magic were known as Heart and Hustle during his time.
Mosley will be putting together his own staff and it’s possible that Armstrong could join him.
This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Chris Hays covers the Magic for the Sentinel. He can be reached at CHays@orlandosentinel.com.
