Joe Dumars: Pelicans not planning to trade Zion Williamson

The New Orleans Pelicans are not entertaining trade offers for All-Star forward Zion Williamson, executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said Tuesday.

"I'll get those calls," Dumars acknowledged. "And even when you say 'no' to people, like, 'No, we're not moving Zion,' within two hours it's out that you've had conversations about trading Zion.

"Listen, we have no intentions of doing that. We're going into the offseason looking forward to Zion coming back next year and playing great again next year."

Williamson averaged 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 62 games (55 starts) this season for the Pelicans (26-56), whose season ended with a 132-126 loss at Minnesota on Sunday.

The 62 games played by the oft-injured two-time All-Star were the second most of his career since being drafted No. 1 overall by New Orleans in 2019.

Williamson, 25, has two seasons remaining on a five-year, $197.2 million extension signed in July 2022. He carries a $42.2 million cap hit for the 2026-27 season.

--Field Level Media