Report: Willie Green facing questions internally about past preferences for playing Jose Alvarado over Dyson Daniels

According to NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green is facing questions internally about his past preferences for playing Jose Alvarado over Dyson Daniels.

The Pelicans traded Daniels to the Atlanta Hawks in the Dejounte Murray trade. Daniels could win the Defensive Player of the Year Award this season. He leads the NBA in steals and steals per game. 

“As a Hawk, Daniels has emerged as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate,” Stein and Fischer wrote. “And his rise has been a source of tension in the organization this season, with Green facing questions internally about his perceived past preferences for playing pesky guard Jose Alvarado rather than Daniels.

“Yet it must be noted that there were whispers about Green being in danger during the Pelicans’ brutal 5-29 start … especially after New Orleans had brought in former Hornets head coach James Borrego as Green’s associate head coach. But he survived them. Green has been known to hold significant support from Pelicans owner Gayle Benson.”

The Pelicans will finish this season with the second-worst record in the West. 

Green has been the head coach in New Orleans since 2021-22. He is 148-179 in the regular season and 2-8 in the playoffs. 

Pelicans All-Star Zion Williamson appeared in only 30 games this season. He averaged 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists while shooting 56.7% from the field and 65.6% from the free-throw line. 

Williamson was the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. He has career averages of 24.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 214 games. 

The Pelicans signed Williamson to a five-year, $197 million extension in 2022. Williamson will make $39,446,090 next season, $42,166,510 in 2026-27 and $44,886,930 in 2027-28, the final season of his contract. 

Williamson has played in zero postseason games. Some people in the NBA think the lefty needs a change of scenery.