Zion Williamson to Remain 'Focal Point' for Pelicans Amid NBA Trade Rumors, per Dumars

New Orleans Pelicans leadership has indicated they are planning to stick with Zion Williamson as the face of the franchise going forward.

Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars told Rod Walker of The Times-Picayune that he has had "really good conversations with Zion" since he was hired in April.

"We've had lunch. Dinner. Watched playoff games together. We've done it all," Dumars told Walker. "I've had some real honest conversations with him. Some real direct and honest conversations.

"We're going to go forward with Zion. He's going to continue to be a focal point here as we go forward."

Williamson currently has three non-guaranteed years remaining on his current contract with the Pelicans, according to Spotrac and The Athletic's Mike Vorkunov.

After playing 70 games of the 2023-24 campaign in the healthiest campaign of his NBA career, Williamson appeared in just 30 games last season as injury issues forced him to miss the majority of a season for the third time in four years.

Between missing time due to a hamstring injury at the beginning of the campaign and having his season end early with a back injury in the spring, Williamson averaged 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and a career-high 5.3 assists per game.

Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor recently wrote that the Pelicans have "no untouchables" among their players and that the franchise is "gauging the market for everyone on their roster."

However, The Athletic's William Guillory reported it was "very unlikely" the Pels would move on from Williamson before the 2025-26 season kicked off.

According to Guillory, it was "intentional" on behalf of both the Pelicans and Williamson that the forward served as the team's on-stage representative at the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery.

Dumars confirmed that report by telling Walker that he "sent him to the lottery for a reason."

"I want him to start focusing on the responsibilities of being the best player here and the focal point," Dumars said. "There are some responsibilities that come with that. Go represent your organization."

Any decision regarding Williamson would need to be made by the Pelicans before July 15, when his $39.4 million cap hit for 2025-26 goes from non-guaranteed to fully guaranteed, per Spotrac.