Zion Williamson Trade Reports Escalating With New Pelicans GM

The New Orleans Pelicans wrapped up their 2024-25 campaign with a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, finishing the season on a seven-game losing streak to fall to 14th place in the Western Conference with a 21-61 record.

Immediately after their season ended, the Pelicans decided to part ways with executive president of basketball operations David Griffin, and are now expected to hire NBA legend Joe Dumars to fill that vacancy, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

With a new president of basketball operations coming in, there has been increased talk about a potential Zion Williamson trade this offseason, along with the possibility of New Orleans moving on from head coach Willie Green.

"Since it looks like all the rumors are coming true - the final bit of intel have on this whole situation is that ownership will mandate Dumars to keep Willie Green and trade Zion. This is what I have heard," WDSU's Shamit Dua reported. "It's possible the Phoenix situation impacts Willie Green, but this is the plan I am hearing."

Shamit Dua (who mostly only posts on #BlueSky 🦋 now) has been the first to report a lot of #Pelicans news lately (Griff out, Dumars in) so trust this! pic.twitter.com/3TwOrNlOyD
— Fletcher Mackel (@FletcherWDSU) April 15, 2025

Williamson, 24, averaged 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists through 30 games this season, but his health has been a major concern. Through six years in the league, Williamson has played over 30 games just twice, but has shown the potential to be a superstar when healthy.

Another problem that Williamson had this season was that he did not seem committed, but Dumars coming in could change that. ESPN's Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst talked about the impact that Dumars should have on Williamson and the Pelicans organization.

Mar 2, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) reacts to a play against the Utah Jazz during the second half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

"Expect some very candid conversations between Joe Dumars and Zion Williamson," Charania said. "They are going to have a sit-down eventually... He is going to bring a different level of authority and accountability."

"He will walk into the building with instantaneous respect right through the organization," Windhorst added. "That doesn't make Zion Williamson healthy, but that should make Zion Williamson pay attention, and that is what one of the biggest struggles with him has been."

.@ShamsCharania: Expect some very candid conversations between Joe Dumars and Zion Williamson... He is going to bring a different level of authority and accountability@WindhorstESPN: He will walk into the building with instantaneous respect right through the organization pic.twitter.com/gF5hHy3y31
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) April 15, 2025

The Pelicans certainly have a busy offseason ahead of them after a disastrous, injury-plagued 2024-25 campaign. New Orleans is certainly bringing in Dumars because they feel like he can put them in a position to succeed, whether or not that means keeping Williamson or trading him.

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