The Magic have begun to speak to head coaching candidates as they look for a replacement for Jamahl Mosley, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link).

While Fischer cautions that things can change quickly in the NBA, coaching insiders around the league consider Billy Donovan the frontrunner for the job, with an “excellent shot” at being hired. Donovan spent the last six years as head coach of the Bulls before parting ways with Chicago last month.

Sources tell Fischer that Donovan has been talking to Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman about the position and will have an in-person interview “in the near future.”

Tom Thibodeau has been mentioned as a possible candidate in Orlando, but Fischer hears the Magic have yet to talk to him and he hasn’t been part of the interview process. Thibodeau is a coaching free agent after being fired by New York last summer.

Clippers assistant Jeff Van Gundy, on the other hand, is among the coaches on Orlando’s radar, report Fischer and his colleague Marc Stein. Van Gundy was head coach of the Knicks and Rockets from 1995-2007.

Although the Magic are said to be looking for an experienced candidate, they’re expected to interview Spurs associate head coach Sean Sweeney, according to Fischer, who says the 41-year-old is also a “prime candidate” to replace Donovan in Chicago.

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