Joe Dumars is barely 24 hours on the job and there's still a lot left to discover and decide in his new role as executive vice president of the New Orleans Pelicans, but those decisions will be left up to him.
He made that clear when asked if there had been any edicts or mandates to make certain moves upon taking the job, a reference to unconfirmed reports that the hire was made with an understanding that he'd pursue trade options centered around star forward Zion Williamson.
"None whatsoever," Dumars said. "I read that last week, that I had a mandate and I was just like, if I have, nobody’s called me and told me that. No, really, absolutely zero."
It wasn't a statement that ruled out any potential trades, simply that the decision won't be made for him. Dumars readily admitted that he was still early on in the process and had only had a short conversation with Willie Green, though he had already spoken to the players on his roster individually. It was only the second day officially in the role, which he took over when the team decided to move on from David Griffin after 6 years.
Dumars said his conversations with team owner Gayle Benson had largely centered around the desire to win an NBA title, something he's done both as a player and an executive.
"She said ‘Joe, I would love to know what it feels like to win an NBA title,’ " Dumars continued. "That was it, that was as close to as an edict as you would get, and so I intend to do just that."
Edict or not, whether this roster continues to be built around Williamson will be one of the questions of the offseason. Willie Green, who was in attendance at Tuesday's press conference, has a long history with Dumars and is expected to remain as head coach.
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Williamson's talent is undeniable, but the 24-year-old is coming off a season where he again battled significant and persistent injuries and was limited to 30 or fewer games for the third time in his five NBA seasons. Dumars spoke at length about culture building, consistency and the will to be great.
It's likely there's some learning to be done on both sides, though there is familiarity. Dumars has spent the past several seasons as the head of basketball operations for the NBA, a role in which he meted out discipline across the league's 30 teams.
"At the league office I’ve had to talk to Zion a few times, so I do have a relationship with Zion that started in my role at the league office," Dumars said, laughing. "I won’t go into those conversations there, but we’ve talked since then and I’ve talked to Zion since I became EVP here, and we had exceptional conversations on the phone. … I’ve called every player and talked to each one of them individually, so yea, I’ve tried to reach out and made sure I’ve touched these guys and let them know let’s go, it’s time. It’s time here in New Orleans.”
If the Pelicans did opt to trade Williamson, it's likely that there'd be a significant market despite the injury history. That's because when on the floor Williamson has been a star among stars with career averages of 24.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists, while also serving as a walking highlight reel. His absence, along with several other key players for much of the season, drove the Pelicans to a record of 21-61, a mark that represents the team's worst season since rebranding from the Hornets.
Williamson was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft, the first selection made by Griffin upon taking over. The Pelicans hold the 4th best odds for the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft.