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Zion Williamson’s Future With Pelicans Gets Major Update After Joe Dumars Hire

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated Apr 15, 2025 12:14 PM ET

According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Hall of Famer Joe Dumars is finalizing a deal to become the new president of basketball operations for the New Orleans Pelicans, who fired David Griffin on Monday.

Dumars, who won two championships with the Detroit Pistons in 1989 and 1990, returns to his home state of Louisiana. He has been the NBA league office's executive vice president of basketball operations since 2022.

The Pelicans went only 21-61 this season. They had the second-worst record in the Western Conference. All-Star Zion Williamson, considered the best player in New Orleans, played in just 30 games.

A North Carolina native, Williamson has played in only 45% of his possible games with the Pelicans since being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. The forward has never played in a postseason game and he may have appeared in his last game with New Orleans.

According to NBA insider Shamit Dua, Pelicans ownership will mandate Dumars to trade Williamson this summer. Williamson will make $39.4 million next season. He signed a five-year, $197 million extension with New Orleans in 2022.

A Duke product, Williamson averaged 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists for the Pelicans this season while shooting 56.7% from the floor and 65.6% from the free-throw line.

Williamson has career averages of 24.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 214 games. He's a two-time All-Star with a lot of talent, but Williamson's conditioning and work ethic have been questioned by many.

The Pelicans traded Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors this season. It will be fascinating to see if Williamson is on a new team next season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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