Pelicans' Dumars Denies Zion Williamson Rumors, Says There's 'No Mandate' to Trade PF

The new executive vice president of basketball operations for the New Orleans Pelicans, Joe Dumars, told reporters on Tuesday that his hiring didn't come with a mandate to trade Zion Williamson.

"No edicts," he said. "None whatsoever. I read that last week, that I had a mandate. I was just like, if I had, no one has called me and told me that. No, really. Absolutely zero. When me and Mrs. [Gayle] Benson talked, she really just said what she said here. She said to me, 'Joe I would love to know what it's like to win an NBA title.' That was it. That's as close to an edict as you'll get. I intend to do that, to get to know people first... I'm slowly starting to do that now and talk to everyone. But no mandate. Zero. Nothing like that."

One of the more interesting storylines to watch during the NBA offseason this summer will be the relationship between Williamson and the Pelicans.

NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported over the weekend that the "early word" out of New Orleans in the early stages of the Dumars era was that the new appointee "wants to evaluate his new situation fully before deciding to outright shop Williamson."

They added that "organizational exasperation" with the 24-year-old is "plenty tangible" and 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."

It makes sense. Williamson has played more than 30 games just twice in his six-year career and missed the entirety of the 2021-22 campaign. He's shown superstar upside when available, averaging 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game for his career, but his inability to remain on the court has set the Pelicans back years.

The Duke product was supposed to be the next face of the franchise after being drafted No. 1 overall in the 2019 NBA draft, replacing Anthony Davis after the Pelicans traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers about a month before the draft.

Now, perhaps more than ever, Williamson's future in New Orleans is in question. According to Dumars, though, there isn't yet an organizational demand to move on.