NBA Insiders Reportedly Skeptical Zion Williamson Will Remain Pelicans' Centerpiece
Zion Williamson's future may not be in New Orleans.
NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported on Sunday that the "early word" out of New Orleans after the firing of former executive vice president David Griffin and the hiring of Dumars to replace him is that the new executive "wants to evaluate his new situation fully before deciding to outright shop Zion Williamson."
He added that "organizational exasperation" with the talented but oft-injured Williamson is "plenty tangible" after he played in just 30 games this season, and "as such there is skepticism in some corners of the league that the Pelicans will actually persist with Williamson as their franchise centerpiece... especially if they are fortunate enough to come away with the No. 1 pick in the May draft lottery and the right to select Duke's Cooper Flagg."
Williamson has now played in just 30 or fewer games in four of his six seasons, which included missing the entirety of the 2021-22 campaign. When healthy, he's shown why he was the top overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, averaging 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.
But as the old cliché goes, availability is the best ability, and Williamson has not proven capable of remaining on the court.
According to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports, Dumars may have taken his new post "with the understanding that ownership/upper management wants to see [head coach Willie Green] retained and Zion traded, a rumor working its way around league circles and reached NBC Sports. There's nuance to this—Green could have interest in the Phoenix coaching vacancy, the trade market for Zion may not be to Dumars' liking—but don't be surprised if that is the road traveled this summer."
The Pelicans have some pieces to build around with or without Williamson. They have solid veterans in Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum and Herbert Jones, while younger players like Trey Murphy III, Jordan Hawkins and Yves Missi have shown potential. The Pelicans have the fourth-best odds in the NBA draft lottery and could end up with a player like Flagg, Dylan Harper or Ace Bailey, giving them a franchise cornerstone for the future. And trading Williamson, if they go that route, would likely bring back strong draft capital.
The downside of trading Williamson is that the Pelicans would be doing so at the low point of his value. How many teams will give up premium pieces for a player who has struggled to stay on the court?
Ultimately, the Pelicans may have to split the difference—they probably can't build out their roster around Williamson at this point, given the uncertainty he'll stay on the court, but they also can't offload him for pennies on the dollar. Winning the lottery and landing a player like Flagg would give them a new franchise cornerstone to build around, making it easier to part ways with Williamson regardless of his market. But that's not guaranteed, so for the time being, the Pels are in limbo.
It's quite the situation for Dumars to inherit.
