Joe Dumars Has Been 'Really Impressed' with Zion Williamson amid Pelicans Rumors
New Orleans Pelicans star forward Zion Williamson has received positive reviews from executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars, according to ESPN's Marc J. Spears.
"From what I'm hearing from Joe, he's been really, really impressed with Zion," Spears reported during an appearance on NBA Today.
The Pelicans hired Dumars in April and one of his top tasks will be deciding to build around Williamson or potentially exploring trades for him, as the two-time All-Star's future with the organization has seemed murky at times over the past year.
In April, ESPN's Tim MacMahon discussed his belief that Williamson wouldn't object to "a change of scenery."
The 25-year-old's $39.4 million salary for the 2025-26 season became guaranteed on July 15, and he'll need to meet games played thresholds to receive $42.2 million during his 2026-27 campaign and $44.9 million during the 2027-28 season.
Williamson has utilized his elite athleticism to establish himself as one of the league's top finishers around the rim, but has struggled to stay healthy. He's appeared in just 214 of a possible 492 regular-season games since New Orleans selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft.
Williamson is coming off a 2024-25 season in which he averaged 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 56.7 percent from the field.
While his long-term outlook with the Pelicans still isn't completely certain, he appears to have the support of Dumars.
