Pelicans executive Joe Dumars on idea of trading Zion Williamson: 'We have no intentions'

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Derick Hingle / NBAE via Getty Images Share full article1NEW ORLEANS — When Joe Dumars spoke to the media Tuesday during his end-of-season news conference, he didn’t provide specifics on his plans to change the roster or fill his vacancy at head coach, but he did make one thing clear: The New Orleans Pelicans are still very much in the Zion Williamson business. “We have no intentions (of trading Williamson),” the executive vice president of basketball operations for the Pelicans said. “We’re going into the offseason looking forward to Zion coming back next year and playing great again next year.” In his seventh season with the Pelicans, Williamson averaged 21 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 60 percent from the floor. Still, the number that outweighs all is the 62 games he appeared in, which was the second-highest total of his career. It was only the third time Williamson had played more than 30 games in a single season throughout his career. Dumars commended Williamson’s durability and the mindset he brought to ensure he was there for his teammates. “He just didn’t give up on the effort this year,” Dumars said. “I can’t sit here and talk about what the past was like with him, but I know I saw a guy that, there were several times I thought, ‘We probably won’t have him tonight,’ and he’s like, ‘Nope, I’m coming. I’ve got to show up,’ I was really proud of him this year.” When Williamson spoke to the media Monday, he mentioned how much he’ll be motivated to shift his approach this offseason, because he’s seven years into his career without appearing in a playoff game. In particular, Williamson said he wants to lean on former greats for input on what it takes to win, with the Pelicans forward pointing to Dumars specifically as a mentor. When asked what he plans to say to Williamson this summer, Dumars said he first wants to bring the two-time All-Star and other Pelicans players to playoff games in the coming weeks so they can see what it looks like to compete at the highest level. After that, Dumars said he plans to be “brutally honest” with Williamson over the summer about what he has to do to take the next step in his career. “You’ve got to tell the truth about what it takes,” Dumars said. “What I would say to him is that those nights you didn’t feel like coming, those nights when you were banged up and you still showed up, it’s those types of things that get you to the playoffs.” Another brutally honest assessment Dumars shared Tuesday involved all that led to the Pelicans finishing with a disappointing 26-56 record this season. He didn’t circle specific skills like shooting or rebounding as the biggest issues his front office has to address, because to Dumars, it starts with something much more intangible. “I would add more toughness to this team,” he said. “We have to be able to compete every night. We cannot get banged around, pushed around. We have to be physical and compete every night. “There were some nights we did it, but there were too many nights we didn’t compete at a high-enough level for me. You can’t get past that in this league. You can’t skip that.” As Dumars begins searching for his next head coach, this will be one of the main requirements he looks for in potential candidates. He wants someone who can motivate his young team and instill a physical, scrappy mindset in them every night. Dumars confirmed that interim head coach James Borrego is a candidate. Borrego went 24-46 this season after taking over after Willie Green was fired just 12 games into the season. Dumars said he has no timeline for when he wants to make a hire, but he also pushed back on some of the early reporting surrounding potential candidates. Names that have been previously been brought up include Milwaukee Bucks assistant Darvin Ham, former NBA assistant Kevin Ollie and current Orlando Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley. Although he didn’t give any specific names other than Borrego, Dumars said he was baffled by some of the names people assume are leading candidates. “We don’t even have a list like that. We’ve got names that we’ve been talking about,” Dumars said. “We’re going to go through this process. We’re going to have a list of names. But if you take one thing from this today, a lot of the stuff I’ve seen printed I was just amazed by. … We’re going to do this process the right way. “I’m just looking for whatever is going to take us to the next step. That could be James, that could be someone else.” Dumars was also very complimentary of the job Borrego did this season in the interim role. “He came in with 70 games (left in the season). … That’s a different seat, (going) from first assistant to head coach,” Dumars said. “It may look easy to transition over, but it takes some work to do so. I thought he did a heck of a job sliding over (to head coach) and keeping the train going.” Another concern for New Orleans heading into the offseason is the fit of Williamson and 2025 first-round pick Derik Queen. The Pelicans have been vocal about their commitment to Williamson. Additionally, they traded away an unprotected 2026 first-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks to acquire Queen last summer, so it’s safe to assume neither of those guys is going anywhere anytime soon. While the Pelicans did try to give both an extended runway to play together this past season, the early results were so disastrous that Queen lost his starting spot late in the season. Per Cleaning The Glass, New Orleans had a net rating of minus-12.3 when Williamson and Queen played together. That’s so bad that many are wondering whether they could ever have a future playing together — or whether their defensive limitations as a pairing are too much to overcome. When asked about the Williamson and Queen pairing, Dumars said that those who have been impatient with the early results should look back at how many questioned the fit of Boston Celtics forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown before they became champions. “I always chuckle when people ask, ‘Can they play together?’” Dumars said. “You’ve got to allow people to grow in this league. I didn’t know if I could fit with (former Pistons great) Isiah (Thomas) or not. But I knew we had great IQs and we could figure it out. Sometimes, you’ve got to let players figure it out.” Ultimately, Dumars acknowledged how much his team underachieved this season, but he also expressed optimism that things can turn around quickly. “We don’t believe we’re far away,” Dumars said. “I firmly believe we’re going to win. I don’t think this is some long rehaul process.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Will Guillory is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering the Houston Rockets and the New Orleans Pelicans. Before joining The Athletic, he was a writer at The Times-Picayune/NOLA Media Group, and he's been on the Pelicans beat since 2016. He is a New Orleans native. Follow William on Twitter @WillGuillory