New Orleans Pelicans

Having just wrapped up the second-worst season in franchise history, the New Orleans Pelicans could be a team to keep an eye on as they evaluate their long-term direction.

On the latest episode of The Hoop Collective Podcast (starts at 54:51 mark), ESPN's Tim MacMahon noted Zion Williamson wouldn't object to "a change of scenery."

The Pelicans are beginning a new era with Joe Dumars taking over as president of basketball operations. His introductory press conference on Tuesday was notable because he didn't really offer any insight into what the plans for Williamson might be.

"At the league office, I’ve had to talk to Zion a few times," Dumars said. "I won’t go into those conversations. But we talked since then, and I’ve talked to Zion since I became the EVP here, and we had exceptional conversations on the phone."

Dumars also said there are "no edicts" from Pelicans ownership to trade Williamson, so anything that might be in the offering is being kept close to the chest right now.

Williamson has one of the most unique contracts in the NBA. His salary for the next three years is non-guaranteed until July 15 of that year. For example, he will be owed $39.4 million in 2025-26 if he's on a roster on July 15. His 2026-27 salary will become guaranteed on July 15, 2026.

Even with the non-guaranteed money on his contract, Williamson would likely be difficult to trade because he's so unreliable due to his injury issues. The 24-year-old has played 219 out of a possible 472 regular-season games since entering the league in 2019.

This season saw Williamson limited to just 30 games. He was effective when he played, averaging 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per contest.

There might be a team willing to bet on Williamson's talent and health all coming together, especially knowing they could get out of his contract without financial penalty after each season.

The Pelicans could be in line for a full-blown rebuild coming off a 21-61 record. C.J. McCollum could draw trade interest with a $30.7 million expiring contract next season.

New Orleans has the fourth-best odds in the draft lottery to win the No. 1 overall pick. If things work out for the franchise, it would be easy to move on from Williamson knowing they will have a new young cornerstone player to build around.

The New Orleans Pelicans are nearing an agreement with Joe Dumars to make him their president of basketball operations, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

In addition to winning two championships with the Detroit Pistons during their "Bad Boys" era, he was the architect of Detroit's championship-winning squad in 2004. That came during a run of six straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances.

Beyond that the apex of Dumars' executive career was 20 years ago, you can't credit him for Detroit's success without pointing to what came after.

The Hall of Famer stepped down in 2014 after the Pistons missed the playoffs for the fifth straight season. A series of bad trades and draft picks turned the organization into a shell of its old self.

A 2014 profile of NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski also revealed that Dumars had received a $500,000 fine from the NBA for leaking confidential league memos.

Charania first reported Monday that Dumars was "a serious front-runner" to replace David Griffin as the lead voice on basketball-related matters in New Orleans. From that standpoint, a firm agreement isn't a total shock.

The fact the 61-year-old was a candidate in the first place was a surprise given how badly things went toward the back half of his Pistons run. He's seemingly being hired after the Pelicans executed little to no search to vet other options as well.

This will only exacerbate the larger concerns fans have had ever since Tom Benson, the late owner of the New Orleans Saints, bought the franchise in 2012. Benson wasted little time in installing Mickey Loomis, the Saints' general manager, as the head of basketball operations, and that helped to cement a broader narrative.

In 2019, The Athletic's Sam Amick reported Anthony Davis' perception at the time was that "the Pelicans were less of a priority to ownership than the Saints."

Hiring Griffin months later signaled a more serious approach as the veteran NBA executive was coming off a highly successful run with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The years that have followed will lead the fanbase to ask how much has fundamentally changed, though. The Pelicans have made two trips to the playoffs, losing in the first round both times, and they made a win-now trade for Dejounte Murray last summer, only to wind up going 21-61.

Maybe New Orleans will have the last laugh on hiring Dumars amid what's bound to be a lot of skepticism and negativity. Otherwise, this could be a costly whiff considering what lies ahead in terms of figuring out what to do with franchise star Zion Williamson and laying out a long-term vision.

After firing executive vice president David Griffin on Monday, the New Orleans Pelicans reportedly already have a plan for their next head of basketball operations.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported that Basketball Hall of Famer Joe Dumars is a "serious front-runner to become the lead basketball executive" for the Pelicans. Charania added that the two sides "are expected to engage in conversations to finalize a deal by the end of the week."

After his stellar playing career with the Detroit Pistons, in which he won two NBA championships and earned six All-Star appearances, Dumars became the team's president of basketball operations in 2000. He held the position until 2014, earning NBA Executive of the Year in 2003 and building a roster that won an NBA title in 2004.

Following his departure from the Pistons, Dumars joined the Sacramento Kings as a special advisor to the general manager in 2019. A year later, he was named chief strategy officer, and he remained with the organization until 2022. He then transitioned to the league office as executive vice president and head of basketball operations for the NBA.

Griffin ran the basketball operations for the Pelicans for the last six seasons, but the team finished no better than eighth in the Western Conference during his tenure. The 2024-25 season was particularly disappointing, as injuries to multiple key players led to an abysmal 21-61 finish to the year.

If Dumars takes over in New Orleans, he will be tasked with figuring out a plan for polarizing star Zion Williamson. The 2019 No. 1 pick was limited to just 30 games this year in yet another lost season, so there are questions as to whether he should even remain the face of the franchise.

The New Orleans Pelicans fired executive vice president David Griffin on Monday.

Griffin had been with the Pelicans since the 2019-20 season, as the team compiled an overall record of 209-263 throughout his tenure.

New Orleans missed the playoffs during its 2024-25 campaign, finishing at No. 14 in the Western Conference standings with a 21-61 record.

The Pelicans made two playoff appearances under Griffin in 2022 and 2024, losing in the first round both times. New Orleans was also eliminated in the 2023 play-in tournament.

Griffin's future with the organization was murky as the regular season came to a close, with NBA insider Marc Stein reporting Sunday that there were "some in New Orleans" who were "undeniably bracing for his exit."

The Pelicans' 2024-25 season included several injuries to key contributors, as rookie center Yves Missi and backup forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl were the only players to suit up in at least 60 games for the team.

Zion Williamson made just 30 appearances due to hamstring and back injuries.

Brandon Ingram suffered an ankle sprain before he was dealt to the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 5, while veteran guard C.J. McCollum was hampered by an adductor strain as well as a foot injury.

New Orleans also made a blockbuster trade for point guard Dejounte Murray in July 2024, acquiring him from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Dyson Daniels, E.J. Liddell, Larry Nance Jr., Cody Zeller and two future first-round draft picks.

Murray played 31 games before his season came to an end due to a torn Achilles.

Daniels blossomed into one of the NBA's top defenders during his first season in Atlanta, pacing the league by averaging 3.0 steals per game.

As the Pelicans head into a pivotal offseason for their long-term future, they parted ways with Griffin.

New Orleans Pelicans star forward Zion Williamson had his season come to an end early once again.

The Pelicans announced on Monday that Williamson will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season due to a low back contusion. Veteran guard CJ McCollum has also been ruled out for the rest of the year due to a foot contusion.

The 2024-25 season has been yet another disappointment in Williamson's up-and-down career. He was limited to just 30 games after missing a chunk of the year with a hamstring injury. When healthy, he was a strong source of production with 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

This season is especially disappointing after Williamson appeared in a career-high 70 games in 2023-24. Since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2019 NBA draft, he's appeared in just 214 games for New Orleans, including missing the entire 2021-22 campaign due to foot surgery.

Amid Williamson's lengthy absence, the Pelicans struggled mightily this season and rank 14th in the Western Conference with a 21-54 record. New Orleans also lost point guard Dejounte Murray (Achilles) and swingman Trey Murphy III (shoulder) to season-ending injuries.

McCollum appeared in 56 games this season and averaged 21.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists. The 2025-26 season is the final year on the 33-year-old's contract.

Without Williamson and McCollum in the lineup, the Pelicans will be missing significant talent as they make their way toward the end of the season.

New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson will miss Friday night's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves with a low back contusion, the team announced.

The 24-year-old has been limited to 30 appearances this season. A hamstring strain caused him to miss nearly two months of action, and New Orleans has been judicious about his workload since his return to the court.

When he has played, Williamson continues to remind fans of his incredible talent. He's averaging 24.6 points on 56.7 percent shooting along with 7.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

In general, this year has been Murphy's Law in action for the Pelicans. Each of their key players has missed extended stretches.

Beyond Williamson, Brandon Ingram suffered an ankle sprain on Dec. 7, which kept him out of the lineup leading up to his trade to the Toronto Raptors ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Herb Jones has injured his right shoulder on two different occasions. Dejounte Murray tore his Achilles tendon in February. Trey Murphy III recently suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.

The Pelicans were effectively out of the playoff race when they decided to move on from Ingram. His exit, which came days after Murray was lost for the season, indicated the franchise was effectively packing it in for 2024-25.

From that perspective, another injury to Williamson doesn't have much significance in the short term for the Pels.

In the bigger picture, though, it's less than ideal when the franchise cornerstone can't stay healthy.

There was a time when it seemed like Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram were going to lead the next era of New Orleans Pelicans basketball, but injuries largely stood in the way of that becoming a reality.

Any hope of them eventually living up to their potential together ended when the Pelicans traded Ingram to the Toronto Raptors ahead of Thursday's deadline, and Williamson said he was sad to see his former teammate leave.

"That was tough to see him go," the Duke product told reporters Saturday. "He's somebody who has been here with me since Day 1. All the ups and downs. You know, you wish it could be different, but I think it was at a point where he felt like he had to do what's best for him."

Williamson has played 16 games this season, while Ingram has played 18. It was more of the same for the pair, as Williamson missed the 2021-22 season and was limited to 24 games in 2019-20 and 29 games in 2022-23.

As for Ingram, he hasn't played more than 64 games in a season since he was a rookie in 2016-17.

New Orleans had the potential to be a Western Conference contender if they remained healthy, as it made the playoffs last season when Williamson played a career-high 70 games. It also reached the playoffs in 2021-22 but hasn't won a postseason series since before either of them arrived in 2017-18.

Ingram's long-term future is now up in the air seeing how he is signed through just this season, but ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported on his Hoop Collective podcast (42-minute mark) that "it sounds like they are going to do a multiyear deal that is worth nine figures. I'll just leave it at that."

That would make him one of the building blocks in Toronto for years to come, and he and Scottie Barnes will then look to enjoy more postseason success than he did with Williamson in New Orleans.

The New Orleans Pelicans and Bruce Brown are open to a new deal this offseason after the Pels acquired him as part of the recent Brandon Ingram trade with the Toronto Raptors.

NBA insider Jake Fischer reported the news.

Brown landed with the Pels on Wednesday. ESPN's Shams Charania broke the trade down.

The 6'4" Brown is in his seventh NBA season. In 18 games this year, he's averaged 8.4 points on 43.5 percent shooting (30.6 percent from three) and 3.8 rebounds over 19.6 minutes per contest. Brown missed the first two-plus months of the season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

Brown is only two years removed from being a tremendous asset for the NBA champion Denver Nuggets. He was a sixth man for that title-winning team, posting 12.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals during a tremendous playoff run.

He's been well-traveled ever since. Brown signed a two-year, $45 million deal in the 2023 offseason with the Indiana Pacers, but they dealt him midway through the year in a trade that brought them forward Pascal Siakam.

One year later, Brown is out of Toronto for another star forward in Brandon Ingram.

He's still a valuable and versatile asset who should get interest in free agency next year. The Pelicans are an option based on the Fischer report, but teams looking to fill a variety of roles should be looking toward Brown when his contract expires.

The New Orleans Pelicans are reportedly sticking with their stars despite a disappointing start to the 2024-25 season.

Zion Williamson and C.J. McCollum are set to remain in New Orleans past Thursday's trade deadline, according to NBA insider Marc J. Spears.

The 12-win Pelicans currently sit at the bottom of the Western Conference standings. With McCollum and Williamson both signed for at least once more campaign, the Pels could be hoping to retool around them this offseason.

The news comes after ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Pelicans had traded Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk alongside a first-round pick and second-round selection.

Williamson, who was forced to miss more than half of the first five seasons of his NBA career due to injury, has again been limited so far this season.

He sat out two months between December and January with a left hamstring strain, and has been playing on a minutes restriction since his return.

After making his comeback, Williamson was suspended for one game after reportedly arriving late for a flight and missing multiple practices.

Since then, reports coming from inside the Pelicans' organization have been more positive. The Athletic's William Guillory wrote Thursday that "several of the Pelicans higher-ups have been very happy with Williamson's work behind the scenes to improve his conditioning and performance on the court," a week after Williamson told NBA.com's Jim Eichenhofer he felt speedier and more agile since his return.

Although he missed part of the 2024-25 season with a shoulder injury, McCollum has arguably been the Pelicans' most consistent player through an injury-plagued start to the season. When available he has averaged 22 points in 33.4 minutes per night.

The Pelicans have been receiving interest in McCollum since at least December, according to Charania. Given Williamson's limited minutes, Ingram's departure and Dejounte Murray's season-ending injury, the Pels have apparently decided to keep leaning on McCollum rather than further stocking up on draft assets by moving him this winter.