Pelicans Continue to Be Delusional About Zion Williamson and His Future in New Orleans

New Orleans continues to stand firm in its message on Zion Williamson publicly, but is that the right move?

Feb 10, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) sits on the bench before the start of a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The latest era of New Orleans Pelicans basketball starts now with the recent hiring of Jamahl Mosley. New Orleans finds itself in an interesting predicament, navigating their future centered around its star forward, Zion Williamson. Back-to-back sub-30-win seasons signal that major changes need to be made within the organization.

The Pelicans started by firing former executive vice president David Griffin after the 2024-2025 season, and then followed that up by firing Willie Green just 12 games into this season. Williamson remains well-regarded within the organization as Mosley takes the reins as the head man.

After Mosley’s introductory press conference this week, executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars told reporters the former number one overall pick remains firmly in the Pelicans' future plans.

“We haven’t changed our opinion on Zion”, Dumars told local media on Tuesday. “I’d love to see Jamahl coach Zion. I’d love to see him get Zion to defend and do all the things he said. Let’s see what we have here.” Most fans and supporters would just like to see Zion on the court.

"We haven't changed our opinions on Zion. I'd love to see Jamahl coach Zion. I'd love to see him get Zion to defend and do all the things he said. Lets see what we have here"

-- Joe Dumars on Zion Williamson pic.twitter.com/1hFetgA6ws

— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) May 26, 2026

Pelicans Are Seemingly Running It Back for Another Season With Zion Williamson

Williamson’s injury history since joining the Pelicans in 2019 has been well-documented and has sparked much speculation about his desire to remain in New Orleans. The former Duke standout has played 30 or fewer games in four of the seven seasons he’s been in a Pelicans jersey. The Pelicans heavily placed incentives and clauses directly tied to specific weight metrics and game availability in his extension, which he signed with the team back in 2022.

Zion has yet to play in a playoff game over his seven-year career, and despite last season being one of his healthiest in the league, he seemed to have little impact on winning. He had a career-low usage rate (27.3%), career-low points per game (21), and career-low shots attempted per game.

His pairing on the court with rookie teammate Derik Queen was quite problematic at times, especially on the defensive end. According to Databallr, when both Queen and Williamson were on the court together, the Pelicans' defensive rating was 123.7. To put that in perspective, the Washington Wizards had the worst defensive rating in the league this year at 122.7. The duo posted a -12.9 net rating over 681 minutes on the court this past season.

Still, Williamson remains an elite rim finisher and superb athletic specimen when he’s healthy.

Mosley will be Williamson’s fifth head coach in eight years, but the new coach remains highly optimistic that the 25-year-old forward still has even further potential in this league. "He hasn't even scratched the surface of things he can do. I really do believe that,” Mosley told reporters. “And I think being able to open the floor up more for him, attacking, being able to play him in different positions, because he's an excellent basketball player with a high IQ for play-making, for making guys around him better."

Whether Mosley can unlock that next level remains to be seen. The former Orlando Magic coach is highly regarded as a defensive mind, but his offenses in Orlando were at times stagnant and unimaginative. Could Williamson grow frustrated with the carousel of coaches throughout his career, coupled with the lack of consistent winning? He’s publicly been clear that New Orleans is where he wants to be in the long term.

"New Orleans is home for me," Williamson stated. "A lot of guys, when the offseason hits, a lot of guys leave the city. I live here. I stay here in the city, I go out and do different things to try to get to know the city more... this is home."

It will be interesting to see whether the Pelicans continue to hold that stance with their highest-paid player, who has a history of not being consistently available. Williamson’s 62 games played last year triggered his fully guaranteed salary of $42 million next year.

How much longer will the Pelicans continue building around Williamson and expecting different results? Apparently, seven seasons are not enough to decide.

Whether the Pelicans ultimately choose to navigate the market of a Zion trade to totally rebuild around their younger core of Queen and Jeremiah Fears is to be determined. They could also task Jamahl Mosley with engineering a high-powered, multi-positional system with Zion at the center. Either way, the 2026 season stands as a definitive turning point for professional basketball in New Orleans.