The New Orleans Pelicans season ended with a whimper, but they still drew eyes during the playoffs with the decision to part ways with head coach Stan Van Gundy after just one season.
New Orleans struggled through an up-and-down season to a 31-41 record, and will now seek a new face to become their third head coach in as many seasons.
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So who are some of the potential names to fill that job? Here are six possibilities.
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TERESA WEATHERSPOON
The first two names to gain steam early following the dismissal of Van Gundy will be quite familiar. One is a Hall-of-Famer in her own right, Teresa Weatherspoon. The former Louisiana Tech and WNBA star initially joined the Pelicans as a two-way player development coach in 2019, and was promoted to a full-time assistant in 2020.
New York Times NBA reporter Marc Stein reported Wednesday afternoon that Weatherspoon would be a candidate to become the Pelicans' head coach. She most recently served as a head coach at Louisiana Tech from 2009-'14, leading the Lady Techsters to a 99-71 record in that span.
If Weatherspoon was selected for the job, she would become the first woman to become the head coach of an NBA team.
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FRED VINSON
Another name that will be familiar to Pelicans fans, Fred Vinson has has been a mainstay on the New Orleans coaching staff since 2010, working under Monty Williams, Alvin Gentry and Van Gundy.
Vinson played collegiately as a guard for Georgia Tech from 1991-'94 and had a short stint with the Atlanta Hawks before spending much of his playing career overseas. He was also an assistant for the L.A. Clippers from 2008-'10 before joining the Pelicans.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Vinson, and the remaining four names, as potential options to replace Van Gundy in New Orleans. In recent years the former guard has become known, in part, as a jumpshooting guru. He most notably led Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram and guard Lonzo Ball in reshaping their jumpshot form, which led to career seasons for both since they arrived in a trade with the Los Angeles Lakers before the 2019-'20 season.
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JACQUE VAUGHN
One of two names on this list with previous head coaching experience, Jacque Vaugn was among the popular names to replace Alvin Gentry in the previous coaching carousel before Van Gundy landed the job.
Vaughn played guard at Kansas from 1993-'97 before becoming a first-round pick of the Utah Jazz. Vaughn played 10 seasons in the NBA for multiple teams before beginning his coaching career in 2010 as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs. He spent two-plus seasons as the head coach of the Orlando Magic beginning in 2012, but was fired late in the 2014-'15 season amid his third consecutive losing season. He finished that tenure with a record of 58-158.
The next season Vaughn joined the Brooklyn Nets as an assistant, where he currently resides. His head coaching profile gained a bit of steam at the end of the 2019-20 season after taking over as the interim head coach following Kenny Atkinson's departure and leading the Nets to a 7-3 record over the final 10 games of the season and the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. That run ended with a thud however, as his Nets team was swept in four games by the Toronto Raptors.
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IME UDOKA
A less familiar name that could be in the running is another current Nets assistant, Ime Udoka. The former small forward finished his collegiate career at Portland State and began his playing career overseas, but latched on with with the New York Knicks in the 2006 season. He later signed with the Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs and Sacramento Kings.
Udoka's coaching career began in 2012 with the San Antonio Spurs -- a popular head coaching tree to mine for future head coaches -- before joining the Philadelphia 76ers coaching staff in 2019. He is currently an assistant, alongside Vaughn, on Steve Nash's Nets coaching staff.
The availability and potential timetable for both Vaughn and Udoka could be impacted by the ongoing NBA playoffs. The Nets currently lead the Milwaukee Bucks 3-2 in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
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CHARLES LEE
Charles Lee, another potential option reported by Wojnarowski, is a less well-known name but might be the most highly sought-after.
Lee played his collegiate career at Bucknell University before spending four years playing professionally overseas. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Bucknell in 2012, and joined the Atlanta Hawks coaching staff as an assistant in 2014. He began his current assistant head coaching gig with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018, and is another potential candidate that's still got playoff obligations to attend to.
When he is available for interviews, though, the Pelicans might not be the only team calling. The Boston Celtics, looking to replace Brad Stevens as head coach after he was elevated to GM this offseason, are also reported to have interest.
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JASON KIDD
The final name on this list is the most well known, but primarily for what he did in his playing career. Jason Kidd was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1994 NBA draft after his playing career at Cal. He went on to become a 10-time NBA All-Star, winning the NBA title in 2011 as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.
He was a 5-time All-NBA first-team selection, and 4-time NBA all-Defensive first team selection before he retired after 19 seasons across 5 different teams.
But Kidd's career as a head coach has been less transcendent. He jumped directly into the head coaching ranks, leading the Brooklyn Nets to a 44-28 record in the 2013-'14 season and a first-round playoff victory over the Toronto Raptors. His team fell to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and Kidd's contract was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks the following offseason.
The former point guard led the Bucks to an overall record of 139-152 over three-plus seasons and a pair of playoff appearances, but his team fell in the first round both times. His tenure was viewed largely as underachieving due to the emergence of current NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Kidd spent a year out of NBA coaching, but has served as an assistant on Frank Vogel's L.A. Lakers coaching staff since 2019.