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Pelicans Head Honcho Ices Trade Mandate Rumors

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Zion Williamson on the New Orleans Pelicans bench

Contrary to recent reports that painted a much bleaker picture of Zion Williamson‘s future with the New Orleans Pelicans, freshly minted franchise head honcho Joe Dumars has not been given a mandate to trade the former No. 1 pick.

Pelicans’ Joe Dumars Ices Zion Williamson Trade Mandate Rumors

“I read that last week that I have a mandate,” Dumars responds, laughing. “If I have, no one has called me and told me that. Like, no, really. Absolutely zero.”

“When me and (Gayle) Benson talked, she really just said what she said here. She said, ‘Joe, I would really love to know what it feels like to win an NBA title.’ That was it. That was as close to an edict as you would get.”

Given Williamson’s history of injuries, weight control issues, and off-court incidents, his position with Pelicans may not be secure. As recently as last December, there was speculation that the team was open to moving the two-time All-Star. That was with a different front office regime though.

“I intend to… get to know people first. Because I don’t know the culture inside the building,” Dumars says, candidly. “…I know some of the people. I know Willie (Green)… I’ve been knowing Willie forever. Great man. But Willie and I haven’t even sat down and talked yet… Just because yesterday was my first day here.”

‘Go Time’

Dumars might be willing to offer Williamson a grace period. After all, building upon the pre-existing structure instead of removing a keystone could save the team a lot of time and heartache. Furthermore, Williamson’s trade value is likely as low as it’s ever been, or close to it. For as gifted as he is, he’s only scratched the surface of his potential.

Yet, that’s because he hasn’t been focused enough off the court or able to stay on the court.

“I’ll say this, at the league office, I’ve had to talk to Zion a few times,” Dumars chides. “So, I do have a relationship with Zion that started in my role with the league office. I won’t go into those conversations there but we’ve talked since then.”

“I’ve talked to Zion since I became (Executive Vice President) here and we had exceptional conversations on the phone. Actually, I’ve talked to every player… I’ve called every player and talked to each one of them individually. So, yeah I tried to reach out and touch these guys and let them know, ‘Let’s go. It’s time. It’s time here in New Orleans.’”

The ball may not quite be in Williamson’s court. However, he’s seemingly in a probationary period that will determine his destiny. That being said, if he continues on the path he’s currently on, it’s hard to see him lasting much longer in the Big Easy.

“I’m not loud. I don’t think you have to be loud. I don’t think you have to be obnoxious and arrogant and all of that. But I think people see that you stand, and you don’t move, and you don’t compromise what’s what. Like you don’t compromise on the standard.”

“That won’t change with me. You can’t get me to move off of high standards. You know, I can say it with a smile, but I’m not going to move off of high standards. So, if you can’t live in that space, it’s probably not for you here.”

© Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

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