Pelicans Announce Big Zion Williamson Decision Ahead of Crucial Offseason

Besides the ongoing search for a new head coach, the New Orleans Pelicans have a ton of roster decisions to make. The biggest domino to fall there is obviously Zion Williamson. After holding onto him past the trade deadline, much to the surprise of some fans and analysts, many were wondering whether the Pelicans were targeting the offseason for a potential Williamson trade.

It turns out that the star power forward isn't going anywhere. Pelicans president of basketball operations Joe Dumars poured cold water on Zion Williamson trade rumors. Dumars said that the team has "no intentions of trading Zion this summer", and they look forward to having him back next season, per Pelicans insider Shamit Dua.

Dumars: We have no intentions of trading Zion this summer and look forward to him returning next season
— Shamit Dua (@FearTheBrown) April 14, 2026

Pelicans Aren't Trading Zion Williamson in the Offseason

This was certainly the most notable tidbit from Dumars' end-of-season presser. There have been recent rumors about the Pelicans' considering a contract extension for Williamson, and these remarks by Dumars strengthen that possibility.

This is the latest step in a frustrating Pelicans tenure for Dumars and GM Troy Weaver. The front office has been far too hesitant to break up the team despite the underwhelming results in the past two seasons. The Pelicans have won fewer than 30 games two years in a row, but the current regime seems content with holding onto the same core that has been so far away from playoff relevance.

Even if the Pelicans were open to holding onto Williamson, not keeping their options open is organizational malpractice. It behooves the Pelicans to explore the market not only for Williamson but also for the rest of their veterans. Instead of being in asset accumulation mode, the Pelicans seemingly want to keep running it back despite having all the evidence in the world that this roster is not good enough.

In Williamson's defense, he did everything he could this season. He was healthy and efficient. He took a back seat to emerging Pelicans and was an excellent team player. The Pelicans' need to trade Williamson has nothing to do with how well the 25-year-old power forward played this season.

If anything, the fact that he played well this season should be more of a reason to trade him. Williamson rehabilitated his trade value and should have some suitors around the league after proving his availability. Selling high on him and getting some future assets could be the fresh start the Pelicans need, especially when it has been established that he and Derik Queen are a very poor fit.

Instead, the Pelicans will enter their eighth season with Williamson on the roster. There were only two winning seasons in that span, and no playoff games for Williamson. As long as the status quo remains the mantra in New Orleans, that is unfortunately unlikely to change.

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