Joe Dumars Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Joe Dumars Unfazed By Criticism Of Controversial Moves

July 15th, 2025 at 9:42pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pelicans’ new executive VP of basketball operations Joe Dumars has already made a number of eye-opening moves. He gave up CJ McCollum in a trade with the Wizards that brought Jordan Poole to New Orleans. He also traded up in the draft, giving up an unprotected 2026 pick in the process, to nab Maryland big man Derik Queen at the No. 13 spot.

Dumars took heat for those decisions, especially the latter. He told ESPN’s Marc J. Spears in an Andscape interview he doesn’t care about the backlash.

“I don’t mind the criticism. People say they don’t mind. But I really don’t mind,” Dumars said. “When you’re running a franchise, you make a determination of what you think you need to start growing your franchise. The opportunity presented itself that we could get two lottery picks, and to do that, you’re going to have to give up something. We gave up what we thought it would take to get these two lottery picks and we did.”

Dumars chose to return to his home state and take on the task of running a Pelicans franchise stuck in mediocrity. Dumars declined the vice president of basketball operations jobs with the Kings and Suns, according to Spears, but felt the New Orleans offer was “right place, right time, right people.”

Dumars addressed a wide range of topics in the interview. Here’s some of the highlights:

On the Poole acquisition:

“If you look around the league now, it’s almost a requirement to have high-level guard play, dynamic guard play. Jordan has a skillset that matches the most dynamic guards in this league. We’ve also seen him be a part of a championship team and contribute at a high level. So, with his skill set, he’s a dynamic guard and I know we have proof that he’s helped teams win championships.”

On how he approached the roster after taking the job:

“I felt the core guys like Zion (Williamson), Trey Murphy, Herb Jones and Dejounte Murray, I thought that was a really good group of guys all around the age of 25 years old. I looked at it from there and said, ‘OK, we need to build out and how do we complement each other?’ I thought the core was really good there and I thought if you have a good core, let’s build out around that core with the type of players that we need.

“And I thought Jordan Poole was a dynamic guard. I thought that Saddiq Bey was the perfect guy to come off the bench and add depth to your team. I thought that (free agent acquisition Kevon) Looney was the perfect guy for a team full of guys who were 25, 26 years old.”

On his relationship with Williamson:

“He and I have had some incredible conversations. We are in constant contact with each other. I’ve talked to him about the responsibility of being great and the responsibility of being a leader, of being a captain, of being the best player, of being the face of a franchise. I’ve talked to him about how all of those things come with responsibility and how it’s time now at 25 years old to embrace those responsibilities.”

On why he left his job with the league office to become a team executive again:

“I loved my job at the NBA. I didn’t like it. I loved it. And I always said it would have to take something special for me to leave, otherwise I wouldn’t. And so, this was what I considered special to be able to come back, run the Pelicans in New Orleans with quite frankly a lot of people I knew in the organization and outside the organization. That’s what made it special for me to say that I would leave the NBA and take this job because I really enjoyed working at the league office.”

Southwest Notes: Durant, Finney-Smith, Roddy, Shammgod, Pelicans

July 5th, 2025 at 9:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

Trading for Kevin Durant and adding Dorian Finney-Smith in free agency should solve the outside shooting woes that have bogged down the Rockets‘ offense, writes Kelly Iko of The Athletic. He notes that Houston went just 5-of-17 from beyond the arc in a Game 7 loss to Golden State while averaging just 78.0 points per 100 half-court plays. Management believed the team had become too reliant on scoring off the offensive glass and needed to find a way to stretch opposing defenses.

Durant, who remains one of the league’s top shooters at age 36, should go a long way toward fixing the problem. Iko notes that Phoenix managed to be a top-10 half-court team last season, which is largely due to Durant’s brilliance. He should provide the lion’s share of Houston’s offense, with elite athletes surrounding him to keep opposing defenses honest.

Finney-Smith posted two huge games against the Rockets in March and April, Iko adds, going a combined 12-of-20 from three-point range. Iko cites statistics from Cleaning the Glass showing that Finney-Smith’s on-off numbers were +10.8 during his time with Brooklyn last season and +9.3 with Los Angeles. Iko expects the Rockets to see fewer zones with Durant and Finney-Smith on hand to counter them.

There’s more from the Southwest Division:

Rockets two-way player David Roddy appears to be headed to the Hawks as compensation for Clint Capela when a seven-team deal becomes official on Sunday, according to Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Roddy began last season with Atlanta before being waived at the trade deadline.
God Shammgod talked to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News about his decision to leave the Mavericks‘ coaching staff and join his friend Jamahl Mosley with the Magic. Shammgod is among four assistants Dallas is losing this offseason. He has been with the organization since 2016 and said he never expected to make such a move a month ago. “I’ve been very fortunate, being under a great coach like Rick Carlisle, and then going to another good coach like (Jason Kidd) and being a part of one of the best organizations in the world,” Shammgod said. “And Mark Cuban, you know, probably one of the greatest owners in sports — but, to me, an even better person. There will always be a love relationship for me here in Dallas. I just appreciate everything Dallas did for me, as a coach and as a person.”
New Pelicans head of basketball operations Joe Dumars is taking a huge chance that the young roster he has assembled can be a playoff contender, observes William Guillory of The Athletic. If it doesn’t work out, Guillory believes Dumars will be facing a full rebuild that could include trading Zion Williamson and firing coach Willie Green.

Pelicans Notes: Dumars, Fears, Queen, Murray, Size

June 26th, 2025 at 5:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

New Pelicans head of basketball operations Joe Dumars has been very active, making three trades over the last nine days. He wound up with two lottery picks after moving the No. 23 pick and next year’s first-rounder to the Hawks for the No. 13 selection, with which he chose Maryland big man Derik Queen. Earlier, at the No. 7 spot, he chose Oklahoma point guard Jeremiah Fears.

Prior to the draft, Dumars agreed to deal CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk to the Wizards in exchange for Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey and the No. 40 pick in this year’s draft.

“It’s the only way I’ve ever had success in this league. I’ve been around aggressive teams my entire life,” Dumars said on Wednesday, per Will Guillory of The Athletic. “We’re going to be an aggressive team. We’re going to be an aggressive front office.”

Dumars explained why he selected Fears, who struggled with his long-range shooting in his lone college season at Oklahoma.

“I like his skill set. The ability to get anywhere on the court like that is a unique ability,” Dumars said. “If you’re going to be a really, really good team, you have to have guys who can compromise the other team’s defense. … When you do that, you’ve got a chance.”

As for moving up to take Queen, Dumars indicated he was pursuing trades to go up and get the Maryland standout as early as the No. 9 pick.

“I put his IQ for the game up against anybody in this draft. This is a super, super high-IQ guy,” Dumars said. “He finds people. He has the mentality of a guard. He’ll push it up. He’s just got unique skills for a 6-10 big.”

Here’s more on the Pelicans:

Some draft pundits are questioning the fit of Queen with Zion Williamson, but the rookie is intent to show that Dumars made a wise decision, according to Rod Walker of NOLA.com. “It shows how much they wanted me and how much they believe in me,” Queen said. “I’m just ready to show them they got their money’s worth and ready to put on for the Pelicans.”
Dejounte Murray is looking forward to blending his talents with the new additions. Dumars spoke with the combo guard on Wednesday and Murray requested the phone numbers of the newcomers, leading Dumars to describe Murray as “all in,” Guillory tweets. Dumars has also addressed with Murray some of the concerns the veteran guard expressed about his first season with the franchise during a recent podcast. Murray called it his “worst experience in the NBA,” not only because of his injuries issues – a broken hand and a torn Achilles – but numerous personal problems. He felt that he didn’t get the sort of support he needed from the previous regime. “The organization, it got bad, man,” he said. “As you guys can see, such and such got fired, another guy left, they brought new people in.”
The addition of Queen addresses at least part of the concerns raised by the trade of Olynyk, as it left the Pelicans thin in the frontcourt. Guillory noted prior to the draft (Twitter link) that Yves Missi and Karlo Matkovic were the only centers remaining on the roster.

Pelicans’ Joe Dumars Talks Injuries, Goals, Roster

June 6th, 2025 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

When Joe Dumars was introduced as the Pelicans‘ new executive vice president of basketball operations in April, he spoke about wanting to “find out what’s happening” with the team’s injury situation, given the series of health issues that have plagued the team in recent years.

In an interview this week with Rod Walker of The New Orleans Times-Picayune, Dumars was asked what he has learned on that subject since joining the franchise. According to the new head of New Orleans’ front office, some of those injuries were “flukes,” but he’s hopeful that in some instances there are things the team can improve in order to reduce a player’s injury risk.

“We’ve went back over every one of the injuries that happened to every player here and tried to decipher and find out which ones were flukes and which one of these could have been internal that we could have done better,” Dumars said. “We’ve assessed every single injury to every single player. What could we have done better? Is there something we could have done better?

“We are continuing to have those conversations because these guys are in rehab now. So we’re meeting every week on the rehab that’s going on. Are we on top of this? When are we sending somebody to see this guy? It’s real comprehensive what we’re doing as far as medicals because what’s been shown is if this team is healthy, it’s a team that can compete. So that becomes critical to make sure we are doing everything we can to put the healthiest team out there on the floor.”

Dumars’ remarks about players being “in rehab” are presumably a reference to guys like Dejounte Murray, Herbert Jones, and Trey Murphy. Murray is coming off a torn Achilles, while Jones and Murphy are recovering from shoulder surgeries. Dumars said there was “nothing to report” on the trio, per Walker, adding that all three are on schedule in their recovery timelines.

Kelly Olynyk and Brandon Boston are among the other Pelicans players who have undergone surgical procedures in recent months.

As we relayed earlier this week, Dumars expressed to Walker that Zion Williamson remains in the Pelicans’ plans going forward and also spoke about head coach Willie Green. Here are a few more highlights from the veteran executive’s conversation with the Times-Picayune:

On Dumars’ goals for the Pelicans:

“We want to win. We want to be a team that’s viewed around the NBA not only as a winning team, but we want to also be viewed as a first-class organization. … That’s about how you come in every day and do things and how you go about your work every day. How you treat people. How we do things here in this building. All of that is important.

“… I’m really here to bring a certain style of play. We’re not really looking at it as trying to compare it to what has gone on here prior to us. We’re coming in expecting to win. We are here to raise the bar. We’re not here to be happy with mediocrity.”

On how he views the current roster:

“We have some good talent on the roster. When this team has been healthy, it’s been a formidable team. Unfortunately, last year it was just decimated with injuries and I acknowledge that. But that doesn’t stop you from setting the bar higher and pushing harder to be better. I don’t think we can be satisfied with what happened two years ago when the team had success. I don’t think you can look at that and say, ‘OK, we can see what we can be.’ You have to push past that. You can’t just aspire to be that. You have to set the goal higher than that and that’s what we intend to do. We intend to push for this team to try to max out because there is some good talent on this roster.”

On his belief that the “best teams reflect their city”:

“I think the Bulls reflected Chicago. The Showtime Lakers reflected L.A. The Bad Boys reflected Detroit. The Indiana Pacers reflect Indianapolis and OKC reflect Oklahoma City. With your best teams, there is a connection between the city and the style of play. The fans look at it and say, ‘Yeah, that represents us.’

“That is what I hope people see when we play. I want them to see that we represent New Orleans. I’m from Louisiana, so I have a feel for the resilience and I know people aren’t quitting here. That’s just not the personality of the city. So I think it’s important that your team reflects that. Fans should be able to look at the team and say, ‘They absolutely are playing and representing what we stand for.'”

Dumars: Zion To Remain Pelicans’ Franchise Cornerstone

June 4th, 2025 at 1:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Zion Williamson will remain the Pelicans‘ franchise cornerstone, new executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars told Rod Walker of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Dumars cleared up any speculation regarding the possibility of Williamson being traded this offseason.

“I’ve had really good conversations with Zion,” Dumars said. “We’ve had lunch. Dinner. Watched playoff games together. We’ve done it all. I’ve had some real honest conversations with him. Some real direct and honest conversations. We’re going to go forward with Zion. He’s going to continue to be a focal point here as we go forward.”

Naturally, Williamson has to hold up his end of the bargain. His career has been marred by numerous injuries. He missed the entire 2021/22 season due to foot ailments and appeared in no more than 30 games in three of his other five seasons, including this past year.

When he’s been on the court, Williamson has been a stat-stuffer, averaging 24.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game over the course of his career. The conversations between Dumars and Williamson have included expectations that the former No. 1 overall pick will get in top shape and do everything possible to stay on the court. He has three years remaining on his maximum-salary contract, which isn’t fully guaranteed.

“We’ve had some real direct conversations with him about that,” Dumars said. “Expectations. Accountability. That’s our plan going forward with Zion.”

Williamson has been in the news recently, as a woman who says she dated him for several years has filed a lawsuit against the Pelicans forward, alleging rape and abuse. Williamson’s legal reps have called the allegations “categorically false and reckless.”

While Dumars declined to comment on Williamson’s legal issues, Pelicans owner Gayle Benson did briefly address them earlier this week, saying “You know, lawsuits are lawsuits. You really can’t … You don’t know. I mean people can sue you for anything. There’s no reason. You can be innocent or not. It’s just something that people do, unfortunately.”

Dumars did confirm that Williamson represented the team at the draft lottery last month to make a statement about the 24-year-old’s status within the organization.

“I sent him to the lottery for a reason,” Dumars said. “I want him to start focusing on the responsibilities of being the best player here and the focal point. There are some responsibilities that come with that. Go represent your organization.”

Dumars also discussed with Walker his thoughts on retaining Willie Green as head coach.

“It’s hard for me to come in here and say, ‘Here’s how I assessed Willie last year,” Dumars said. “I wasn’t here. All I can do is move forward and guide and create and lead and put expectations on what we need to do here to be successful. And only then can I judge Willie or anyone else. I was pleased with what I heard. I’m looking forward to going forward and working with Willie and to push us to success. You’ve got to set the bar. And that’s what we’re going to do.”

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.