Joe Dumars Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Zion, Pelicans, Rockets, Warriors, Morant

April 24th, 2025 at 1:38pm CST by Rory Maher

While new head of basketball operations Joe Dumars continues to reshape the Pelicans‘ front office, his biggest task will be deciding the future of Zion Williamson, according to Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com. If Dumars can’t get Williamson committed to the team, Duncan argues he should trade the injury-plagued former No. 1 overall pick.

As Duncan writes, Dumars intentionally avoided mentioning Williamson directly by name during his introductory press conference, but it’s clear that much of his messaging was directed at the star forward.

“You’re not going to be successful just with talent alone,” Dumars said. “There are some intangibles that you have to have. You’ve got to figure out: Does this guy really want to be great? Is he going to work? Is he going to show up? Does he have toughness? All of those intangible things besides who can run fast, who can jump high, who can shoot the ball. I can see that. Anybody can see that.”

Here’s more from the Southwest:

The Rockets evened their first-round series against the Warriors on Wednesday night, led by 38 points from Jalen Green and a strong team defense. The Warriors downplayed Houston’s physicality after Game 2, which saw Jimmy Butler exit with a pelvis contusion, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “Actually I might agree with (Draymond Green that it was less physical compared to Game 1),” Stephen Curry said. “There were a couple crashes that happened out there, but we know what they’re trying to do — use their size advantage at times to try to bully us. We held up a pretty good fight both games. We just let Jalen get going a little bit and he got free to space. There’s no reason he should get up 18 threes.”
While the Warriors downplayed the physical play, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said the chippiness is working in Houston’s favor. According to Michael C. Wright of ESPN, there were six technical fouls, a flagrant 1 foul, “minor scuffles,” and several profane chants directed at Draymond Green. “If it gets chippy, we’ve seen over the last two years that’s worked in our favor for the most part, gets us amped up,” Udoka said. “But when you have a lead, (and you’re) up 20, and things start to happen, you understand why. That’s kind of the last resort by teams. You’ve got to keep your composure at that point and just stay calm.”
A lawsuit against Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant has been dismissed, reports Adrian Sainz of The Associated Press. Joshua Holloway, who was 17 at the time and recently finished his sophomore season as a player at Samford University, sued Morant for assault for punching him in the face at a pickup game he was invited to at the home of Morant’s parents in July 2022. Morant countered by saying he was acting in self-defense after Holloway threw the ball at his face. Shelby County Circuit Judge Carol Chumney agreed that Morant acted in self-defense and was immune to civil liability in the case, in part due to the testimony of other witnesses present, as Sainz details.

Pelicans Parting Ways With Multiple Front Office Members

April 24th, 2025 at 1:01pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pelicans recently dismissed former head of basketball operations David Griffin, replacing him shortly thereafter with former Pistons star and longtime executive Joe Dumars.

Marc Stein reports (via Twitter) that the new front office will part ways with a couple of executives from Griffin’s staff, Todd Quinter and former Bulls GM Gar Forman, who had been a special advisor to Griffin since December 2020.

Former WNBA star and Hall of Famer Swin Cash also won’t return to New Orleans, league sources tell Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Will Guillory of The Athletic confirms the news (via Twitter).

Cash, who was promoted to senior vice president of basketball operations last year, was one of the highest-ranking women by title in any NBA front office. She had been with the organization since 2019.

The Pelicans are coming off a disappointing season in which they finished 21-61, the second-worst mark in franchise history. Quinter, Forman and Cash were all part of Griffin’s front office — it’s not surprising that Dumars will be bringing in new colleagues.

Pelicans’ Dumars Won’t Reveal Plans For Zion Williamson

April 22nd, 2025 at 9:04pm CST by Dana Gauruder

New Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars wouldn’t tip his hand regarding his plans for Zion Williamson.

In his introductory press conference, Dumars said he’s had multiple discussions with the team’s oft-injured franchise player but didn’t reveal any details, according to Brett Martel of The Associated Press.

“At the league office, I’ve had to talk to Zion a few times,” said Dumars, who spent the past three seasons as the NBA’s executive vice president and head of basketball operations. “I won’t go into those conversations. But we talked since then, and I’ve talked to Zion since I became the EVP here, and we had exceptional conversations on the phone.”

There’s been plenty of speculation that Williamson could be one of the big names on the trade market this summer. The former No. 1 overall pick appeared in just 30 games this season, making it the fourth time he’s played 30 or fewer games in his six-year career. Williamson, who missed the entire 2021/22 season, still has three years left on his max contract.

Dumars, the longtime Pistons president of basketball operations, says he wants to “find out what’s happening” regarding the rash of injuries that have hit the roster the past two seasons. He also wants a high level of professionalism and commitment throughout the organization. Williamson was suspended one game this season for violating team policies.

“You have to set standards — and you can’t waver from those standards,” Dumars said.

As for head coach Willie Green, Dumars once again didn’t indicate whether he’d return or not, though Green was in attendance at the press conference and Dumars paid him a compliment.

“I’ve been knowing Willie forever — great man,” Dumars said.

A Louisiana native, Dumars indicated he was content with his NBA office job but was persuaded to return to his home state to revive the Pelicans franchise.

“Sometimes opportunities come along and, you know, right place, right time, right people,” Dumars said.

Southwest Notes: Thompson, Harrison, Dumars, Udoka

April 17th, 2025 at 10:55am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Mavericks‘ play-in game victory in Sacramento had special meaning to Klay Thompson. He scored 23 points against the Kings, making five three-pointers along the way. Thompson missed all 10 of his field goal attempts last season against Sacramento in the play-in tournament, which wound up being his last game in a Warriors uniform.

“I wasn’t going to define myself off one bad shooting night,” he said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “I mean, I’ve had some of the greatest shooting nights in the history of the game. So even someone in my caliber can go 0-for. … I try to not even think about that, but at times you do because you’re human. But you just keep going out there and do what you love.”

Dallas will now battle the Grizzlies for the No. 8 seed on Friday.

“I’m still alive. I’m excited,” Thompson said. “I get to go to Memphis. It was really fun (Wednesday) because you could just be fully immersed in the experience, and we’ve had a tumultuous season, to say the least. The injury bug has struck us like I’ve never seen before, but we’re still here playing postseason basketball.”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison‘s contentious press conference, in which he stated he didn’t regret trading Luka Doncic, wasn’t something he suggested, ESPN’s Sham Charania tweets. “Nico Harrison did not want to do this closed-door roundtable. This was not his idea,” Charania said during an appearance on NBA Countdown. “This was something that was enforced by their owner, Patrick Dumont.”
Now that Joe Dumars has been officially hired as the Pelicans president of basketball operations, he has two big decisions to make, Rod Walker of NOLA.com writes. His first major decision will be whether to retain head coach Willie Green. As the offseason progresses, he’ll have to choose whether to retain Zion Williamson as the franchise player or trade him and take the franchise in another direction.
Dumars has spent the last three years as the NBA’s head of basketball operations and commissioner Adam Silver thanked him for his service in a statement relayed by The Athletic’s Sam Amick (Twitter link). “Joe brought tremendous credibility to his role at the league office and is one of the most genuine and respected people in all of basketball,” Silver said. “His exceptional playing career and tenure as an executive provided him with an elite understanding of the game and strong relationships around the NBA. We are grateful for Joe’s leadership over the past three years and wish him well as he begins his new role with the Pelicans.”
The Warriors are actually the betting favorite to win their first-round series against Houston even though the Rockets are the No. 2 seed. Much of that is due to Golden State’s wealth of playoff experience — Rockets coach Ime Udoka says he and his staff will have to do their best to neutralize that advantage. “The experience for our young guys will be new,” he hold Mark Medina of Athlon Sports. “But as far as me and my staff and what we’ve experienced, I don’t think there is a whole lot that’s going to surprise us or be different. It’s just our young guys getting experience for the first time and going through the playoff prep and all the specifics of how much more you have to dig in.”

Scotto’s Latest: Green, Pelicans, Borrego, Suns, Adelman, Sixers

April 16th, 2025 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin wanted to fire head coach Willie Green earlier in the season, but was denied by ownership, which has maintained its support for Green, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

A former assistant in Phoenix, Green has been mentioned as a possible target for the Suns as they seek a new head coach of their own. But now that Griffin has been let go by the Pelicans and replaced by Joe Dumars, Green’s hold on his job in New Orleans looks significantly less tenuous.

Dumars, who nearly drafted Green back in 2003 when he was running Detroit’s front office, is considered likely to retain the former NBA guard as New Orleans’ coach, according to Scotto.

While Green may not emerge as a serious candidate for the job in Phoenix, his top assistant James Borrego is expected to receive consideration from the Suns and other clubs with head coaching openings this spring, league sources tell HoopsHype. If Griffin had remained in the Pelicans’ front office, Borrego may have ended up replacing Green as New Orleans’ coach, Scotto notes, but with Green likely to stick around, changes are expected to be made to his staff, making Borrego a candidate to depart.

Here are a few more items of interest from Scotto:

Veteran NBA executive Scott Perry and Bucks VP of global scouting Ryan Hoover, both of whom worked with Dumars in Detroit, are viewed as candidates to join the Pelicans‘ front office this offseason, according to Scotto, who points out that Perry also has a connection to Green, having worked in Orlando’s front office when the current Pelicans coach was a Magic player.
Scotto confirms several of the potential Phoenix coaching candidates identified earlier this week by Chris Haynes and adds another name to the list, suggesting that Rockets assistant Ben Sullivan could get a look from the Suns. Scotto also writes that front office changes remain in play in Phoenix, where general manager James Jones is on an expiring contract and his future with the club is considered “murky.”
Nuggets interim head coach David Adelman, who has the support of stars Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, has a “real chance” to earn the permanent job in Denver, Scotto reports. An extended postseason run would presumably go a long way toward making Adelman the frontrunner.
Although the Sixers don’t plan to make a head coaching change this offseason, there’s an expectation that there will be some changes made to Nick Nurse‘s coaching staff, league sources tell HoopsHype.

Pelicans Hire Joe Dumars As Head Of Basketball Operations

April 16th, 2025 at 11:13am CST by Luke Adams

April 16: The Pelicans have officially hired Dumars to lead their front office, announcing in a press release that he has been named their new executive vice president of basketball operations.

“Joe’s achievements as a renowned Hall of Fame player, NBA champion and front office executive are indisputable,” Pelicans governor Gayle Benson said in a statement. “I have a great deal of respect for what Joe has already accomplished as a player and executive, but more importantly I admire his character and leadership. His vast experience and relationships throughout the NBA, along with his strong leadership qualities, will have a tremendous impact on our organization and our goal of winning an NBA championship.

“While at the league, he was involved in every aspect of basketball operations and got unparalleled perspective and knowledge of the most effective personnel, strategy and tactics throughout the league. That will benefit our team immediately as we move forward. I am delighted to welcome Joe, his wife Debbie, and their children Jordan and Aren to the Pelicans.”

In a statement of his own, Dumars said the Pelicans’ roster features “a lot of talent,” adding that he envisions overseeing a “disciplined team that is built on toughness, smart decision-making and a no-excuses mindset.”

April 15: The Pelicans and Joe Dumars are finalizing a deal that will make him the team’s new president of basketball operations, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). Charania first reported on Monday that Dumars had emerged as a “serious frontrunner” for the job.

A Hall of Famer as a player, Dumars began his front office career in 2000 as Detroit’s president of basketball operations. He remained in that role until 2014, earning Executive of the Year honors in 2003 and building the Pistons team that won a championship in 2004.

Dumars turned the Pistons into a perennial contender during the first half of his front office tenure in Detroit, making a series of savvy moves to compile a roster led by Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Richard Hamilton, and Tayshaun Prince. The club advanced to at least the Eastern Conference Finals for six straight years from 2003-08, making two NBA Finals appearances during that time.

However, Dumars made his share of missteps while running the Pistons, most memorably drafting Darko Milicic with the No. 2 overall pick in 2003, right ahead of Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade. Detroit had a losing record in each of Dumars’ last six seasons at the helm and wasn’t set up for success following his exit.

Dumars later had a stint in the Kings’ front office, working in a variety of roles in the organization from 2019-22. He joined Sacramento as a special advisor to then-GM Vlade Divac and became the Kings’ interim head of basketball operations when Divac was fired in 2020.

Dumars subsequently transitioned into a chief strategy officer role following the hiring of general manager Monte McNair and held that title for two years before joining the league office as the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball operations in 2022. He has been in that position under commissioner Adam Silver for the last three seasons.

A Louisiana native who played his college ball at McNeese State, Dumars will be returning home for his new job with the Pelicans. He’ll be replacing former executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin, who was let go by the club on Monday following a disappointing 21-61 season.

New Orleans’ 2024/25 season was decimated by injuries, some of which are expected to carry over to ’25/26, but there’s a solid foundation of talent on the roster for Dumars to work with. Forwards Zion Williamson and Herbert Jones, guard Dejounte Murray, wing Trey Murphy, and center Yves Missi are all locked up for multiple seasons, with CJ McCollum set to enter the final year of his contract.

The Pelicans also control all of their own future first-round picks, along with Indiana’s 2026 first-rounder (top-four protected) and the right to swap picks with Milwaukee in 2026 and 2027 (the Bucks’ 2027 pick is top-four protected). New Orleans’ 2025 first-rounder projects to be in the top half of the lottery.

The future of head coach Willie Green is uncertain — reporting on Monday indicated his status would be decided after a new head of basketball operations is hired, so Dumars will presumably be heavily involved in the decision on whether to retain Green or seek a new coach.

Dumars will be tasked with turning a Pelicans team with just one 50-win season (in 2008) and two playoff series victories (2008 and 2018) since its inception in 2002 into a contender.

Joe Dumars Emerges As Serious Candidate For Pelicans’ Top Front Office Job

April 14th, 2025 at 12:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA executive Joe Dumars is a “serious frontrunner” to become the Pelicans‘ new head of basketball operations, replacing David Griffin, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter links). New Orleans announced on Monday that Griffin has been relieved of his duties.

According to Charania, Dumars and the Pelicans are expected to engage in discussions about the job and could finalize a deal as soon as this week.

Dumars, who won a pair of championships and made six All-Star teams as a Pistons guard, spent his entire playing career in Detroit from 1985-99 and was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player in 2006.

Dumars remained in Detroit following his retirement, transitioning to a front office role and spending 14 years as the Pistons’ president of basketball operations in Detroit from 2000-14. He won an Executive of the Year award in 2003 and built the Pistons team that earned a championship in 2004.

After spending three decades with the Pistons as a player and executive, Dumars had a stint in the Kings’ front office too, holding a variety of roles in the organization from 2019-22. He joined Sacramento as a special advisor to then-GM Vlade Divac and became the Kings’ interim head of basketball operations when Divac was fired in 2020.

Dumars subsequently transitioned into a chief strategy officer role following the hiring of general manager Monte McNair and held that position for two years before joining the league office as the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball operations in 2022.

Dumars turned the Pistons into a perennial contender during the first half of his front office tenure in Detroit, making a series of savvy moves to compile a roster led by Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Richard Hamilton, and Tayshaun Prince. The club advanced to at least the Eastern Conference Finals for six straight years from 2003-08.

However, Dumars made his share of missteps while running the Pistons, most memorably drafting Darko Milicic with the No. 2 overall pick in 2003, right ahead of Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade. Detroit had a losing record in each of Dumars’ last six seasons at the helm and wasn’t set up for success following his exit.

Dumars is a Louisiana native who played his college ball at McNeese State.

And-Ones: Dumars, Nwaba, Vildoza, 2024 Draft

January 9th, 2024 at 1:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Last week, the Nets became the first team to get fined for resting healthy players since the NBA introduced its new player participation policy in September. Joe Dumars, the league’s executive vice president and head of basketball operations, told ESPN’s Tim Bontemps that the rules will continue to be enforced when teams try to sit multiple players who are not legitimately injured.

“We are serious about this,” Dumars said. “We talked to people, we talked to everyone, all parties we talked to before the season started. And to not follow through with this would not be right of us. It would not be the thing to do, to not follow through. So yeah, we are very serious about this. We communicated, we overly communicated with everyone about this, and we made very clear that if your guys can play or we feel that your guys can play, they should be on the court. And it’s gone over extremely well this year.”

We have more from around the international basketball world:

The London Lions have officially signed former NBA guard David Nwaba, Sportando relays. The Lions’ interest in Nwaba was reported by BasketNews last week. Nwaba’s last NBA stint was with Houston in 2021/22. The six-year veteran appeared in 237 regular season games during his NBA career, averaging 6.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game.
Luca Vildoza, who played seven games with Milwaukee in 2021/22, suffered a ruptured lateral meniscus in his left knee while playing for Greece’s Panathinaikos, according to Sportando’s Allesandro Maggi. The Argentinean guard will undergo surgery on Tuesday, according to the Greek club.
In his latest mock draft, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman has the Pistons taking French big man Alexandre Sarr with the top pick. Wasserman compares Sarr, who’s playing in Australia with the Perth Wildcats, with Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. Point guard Nikola Topic, who recently suffered a knee injury while facing EuroLeague competition, goes at the No. 2 spot to the Spurs in Wasserman’s mock, while another European, French wing Zaccharie Risacher, comes off the board at No. 3 to the Wizards.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo (Insider link) have put out another roundup of notes on 2024 draft prospects, exploring what’s gone wrong for UCLA’s top three NBA prospects (Aday Mara, Adem Bona, and Berke Buyuktuncel) and whether recent injuries to Sarr and Topic will hurt their stock, among other topics.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Tibbetts, J. Jackson, Load Management, Vasiljevic

October 17th, 2023 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NBA assistant Nate Tibbetts, who had been employed by the Magic as part of Jamahl Mosley‘s staff, is finalizing an agreement to become the new head coach of the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Wojnarowski, the deal will make Tibbetts the highest-paid coach in WNBA history.

Tibbetts, who was hired Orlando in 2021, previously served as the associate head coach in Portland and was also an assistant for the Cavaliers. He has head coaching experience at the G League level and has interviewed for the top coaching job for several NBA teams over the years.

Interestingly, one of those NBA head coaching interviews that Tibbetts received was from the Suns back in 2019, before the team hired Monty Williams. Four years later, with the Suns and Mercury under ownership, Tibbetts will be the named the head coach of Phoenix’s other basketball franchise.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Veteran NBA forward Josh Jackson, the No. 4 pick in the 2017 draft, has been accused of raping a woman and then sending two other women to break into apartment to threaten her, according to Shreyas Laddha and Luke Nozicka of The Kansas City Star, who share details from a federal lawsuit filed by Jackson’s accuser. The former Kansas Jayhawk last played in the NBA in 2021/22, when he appeared in 51 games for Detroit and Sacramento.
While Joe Dumars and the NBA have publicly stated that their data doesn’t support the benefits of “load management,” some coaches around the league are skeptical of that conclusion, according to Joe Vardon and Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. “It’s just PR,” one coach told The Athletic. “There are plenty of other studies that prove load management makes sense from an injury and recovery standpoint.”
Australian guard Dejan Vasiljevic signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Wizards in September and was waived a couple weeks ago, but it seems he won’t be joining the Capital City Go-Go, Washington’s G League affiliate. Olgun Uluc of ESPN reports that Vasiljevic is headed back to his home country and is set to officially sign with the Adelaide 36ers after the Sydney Kings renounced their right of first refusal.
In a pair of features for The Athletic, John Hollinger makes win-loss predictions for the eight teams he projects to finish at the bottom of the West and his bottom eight teams in the East. Of note: Hollinger has the Kings (39-43) and Bulls (33-49) finishing out of the play-in picture in their respective conferences.

NBA Says Its Data Doesn’t Support Load Management

October 11th, 2023 at 9:24pm CST by Rory Maher

NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars says the league’s data no longer shows the benefits of load management, according to Joe Vardon and Sam Amick of The Athletic. As Vardon and Amick write, the term “load management” has become ubiquitous in recent years, but it generally refers to the practice of resting players — particularly stars — to theoretically reduce the risk of injury.

“Before, it was a given conclusion that the data showed that you had to rest players a certain amount, and that justified them sitting out,” said Dumars. “We’ve gotten more data, and it just doesn’t show that resting, sitting guys out correlates with lack of injuries, or fatigue, or anything like that. What it does show is maybe guys aren’t as efficient on the second night of a back-to-back.”

Dumars added players should be striving to play all 82 games on the regular season schedule.

“Obviously everybody’s not going to play 82 games, but everyone should want to play 82 games. And that’s the culture that we are trying to reestablish right now,” he said.

In September, the league instituted its new player participation policy, which will impact 49 players who have made All-Star or All-NBA teams over the past three seasons. Stars sitting out games when they were healthy, plus the extremely lackluster All-Star game in February, evidently reached a tipping point for the league.

“You get here by not addressing it,” Dumars said. “You get here by slippage, by just slowly – year after year after year…just slowly over time – you see all this slippage in missing of games during the regular season, the All-Star Game devolving into what it did this past year. And none of that happened just like after one year. And so at some point, you have to stop the slide. You have to address it.”

The NBA is also in the process of negotiating a new media rights deal — the current contract expires after 2024/25. Obviously marquee players missing nationally televised games has been an issue in negotiations, as was the poorly-rated All-Star game, which turned off fans and broadcast partners. Dumars admitted all of those things played a factor in the participation policy, which he said the NBPA agreed to.

“Yeah, yes … I can’t [lie],” Dumars said with a laugh, per Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. “That’s a part of it. To pretend it isn’t would just be dishonest.”

Evan Wasch, the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball strategy and analytics, was also on the call and offered his opinion on the matter.

“I also think we don’t need our TV partners to tell us that when teams sit players and players don’t try in an All-Star Game,” Wasch said, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN. “That makes for worse competition. Right? It’s incredibly obvious to us, and ultimately, we’re trying to serve fans. Yes, it’s the case that because we’re negotiating TV deals in the next year or two here, it takes on an even greater importance because we’re in the middle of those conversations; but we can self-identify that these were issues that need addressing independent of any outside.”

Dumars and Wasch said they’ve been meeting with teams ahead of the 2023/24 season to stress the importance of playing as many games as possible, creating a more competitive All-Star game, and promoting buy-in for the new in-season tournament.