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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: Irving, Jones, Sheppard, Kawamura

July 15th, 2025 at 8:09pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Mavericks president of basketball operations Nico Harrison said that Kyrie Irving is ahead of schedule in terms of his rehab from a torn ACL, according to Grant Afseth of the Dallas Hoops Journal.

“Kyrie’s ahead of schedule, but we kind of knew he would be because of the way he attacks his rehab,” Harrison said. “He’s going two or three times a day. As much as he wants to rush it, we don’t want him to. But he’s going to be fine.”

No timetable has been set for Irving’s return but it’s anticipated he’ll back sometime after the New Year. The team added D’Angelo Russell in free agency to handle the point guard duties while Irving is on the mend. Irving signed a three-year, $119MM contract with a player option earlier this month.

Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Pelicans officially re-signed Herbert Jones to three-year, $68MM extension on Monday. New executive VP of basketball operations Joe Dumars issued a statement regarding the signing that was relayed by Will Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link). “Herb Jones exemplifies all the great qualities our team values with his toughness, competitiveness, and commitment to getting better every day. We could not be more excited to sign Herb to this contract extension and keep him in New Orleans for many years to come,” Dumars said.
Several teams have shut down prominent young players during Summer League action. The Rockets did just that with 2024 lottery pick Reed Sheppard, Kelly Iko of The Athletic tweets. Sheppard had a 28-point game against the Clippers’ Summer League squad last week.
Yuki Kawamura spent this past season on the Grizzlies’ roster as a two-way player. He wasn’t extended a qualifying offer and subsequently was added to the Bulls’ Summer League roster. Kawamura is disappointed that Memphis didn’t retain him, according to Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I miss Memphis, for sure,” Kawamura said. “Memphis people are so nice. I wanted to play in Memphis this year, too, but it’s business. I’m satisfied right now. The Bulls organization is great. Good opportunity for me.”

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.'”

Stein/Fischer’s Latest: Perry, LaVine, Young, Jones, Dumars, Graham, Horst

April 27th, 2025 at 7:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

New Kings general manager Scott Perry won’t engage an offseason teardown even though De’Aaron Fox was dealt at the trade deadline this season, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line report in their latest newsletter.

While the roster is lacking a true starting point guard and requires more length and athleticism, as he told the media in a recent press conference, Perry isn’t looking to hit the reset button.

However, there is speculation that Zach LaVine could be on the move again. Perry questioned LaVine’s ability to elevate his teammates a couple of years ago in a podcast. LaVine has two years and approximately $96.5MM remaining on his contract and becomes eligible for an extension on July 7.

Here are several more tidbits from Stein and Fischer:

Trae Young‘s name has been bandied about in trade rumors in recent years but it appears unlikely Atlanta will look to deal its franchise player this summer. Former Hawks GM Landry Fields broke up the backcourt duo of Young and Dejounte Murray last offseason and one of the players acquired in return, defensive ace Dyson Daniels, meshed well with Young. Moreover, Hawks personnel members have spoken often about Young’s growth as a leader and being a more willing passer. Coach Quin Snyder’s praise regarding Young’s improved effort and defensive commitment also speaks to the likelihood of the Hawks continuing to build around him.
While there has been speculation regarding James Jones‘ status as the Suns GM, given that his contract expires in June, he’s been tasked with leading the search for a new head coach. Phoenix would ideally determine its new front office structure before hiring a head coach but Jones could be asked to remain in the front office in a different role.
New Pelicans executive VP of basketball operations Joe Dumars has already made several front office changes, including the addition of former Pistons GM Troy Weaver as senior VP. However, Dumars has decided to retain GM Bryson Graham. The latter has been credited with unearthing underrated talent in the draft, such as Trey Murphy and Herbert Jones.
The Bucks’ decision to give GM Jon Horst an extension had been in the works for weeks. Front office openings in Atlanta, Denver and Phoenix further pushed the negotiations to fruition. However, Horst’s new deal won’t quell the hope of rival executives that another early playoff exit could lead to a trade request from superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Impact Of Pelicans’ Injury Woes Could Carry Over To 2025/26

March 19th, 2025 at 12:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Health issues derailed the Pelicans‘ 2024/25 season almost before it began. Trey Murphy and Zion Williamson weren’t available when the season tipped off, top offseason acquisition Dejounte Murray broke his hand on opening night, and it only got worse from there, with injuries eventually affecting virtually every starter and rotation player on the roster.

Through 69 games, only one player – rookie Yves Missi – has made more than 53 total appearances for the Pelicans (Missi has made 64).

New Orleans’ division rivals in Memphis are proving that a would-be contender devastated by injuries in one season can get back on track with better health luck the following year. After winning 50+ plus games in back-to-back seasons, the Grizzlies were hit hard by injuries in 2023/24 and won just 27 games. This year, they’re on pace to exceed 50 wins again.

A bounce-back season in 2025/26 is obviously the hope in New Orleans, where the club appeared to be on the rise after winning 49 games in 2023/24. But there’s a chance that the team’s injury woes this year will have an impact on the ’25/26 team, writes William Guillory of The Athletic.

In fact, that’s a near certainty in the case of Murray, who tore his Achilles tendon in late January. The expectation is that the veteran guard will miss time to open next season — Guillory hears from team sources that Murray may not be back on the floor until sometime after the calendar turns to 2026.

According to Guillory, there have also been some “rumblings” about the possibility that forward Herbert Jones, who underwent shoulder surgery last month, won’t be ready for the start of the 2025/26 campaign. That’s still to be determined. Jones’ return date will depend on how his rehab progresses this offseason, Guillory writes.

The Pelicans announced this week that Murphy has suffered a season-ending shoulder injury of his own. He was diagnosed with a torn labrum and a partial tear of the rotator cuff.

Murphy’s recovery timeline remains unclear and figures to hinge on how severe his injury is determined to be and whether or not it requires surgery, says Guillory. It’s not a lock that the fourth-year wing will be back to 100% by training camp.

The Pelicans still “strongly believe” in their core of Williamson, Murray, Murphy, and Jones, according to Guillory, but even if the front office keeps that group together through the summer, it may be quite a while before that quartet is on the court together.

Pelicans’ Herb Jones Has Shoulder Surgery, Out For Season

February 12th, 2025 at 5:31pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Pelicans forward Herbert Jones has had successful surgery to repair a torn right rotator cuff, per a press release from the team.

As had been anticipated earlier this week by Pelicans vice president of basketball operations David Griffin, Jones will indeed be sidelined for the rest of the season while he recuperates. He hasn’t suited up in a game since January 8.

Jones, a versatile 6’8″ combo forward, made an All-Defensive Team last season for his efforts on that end of the floor. At the time, he was a rising talent on a 49-win New Orleans club that seemed primed to make a leap this season.

Instead, the Pelicans have been felled by horrible injury luck and find themselves dead last in the Western Conference entering play on Wednesday — the team traded away Brandon Ingram at least week’s trade deadline in exchange for draft equity.

Jones has played sparingly this year for the 12-41 Pelicans. Across just 20 healthy games in 2024/25, the 26-year-old averaged 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.9 steals and 0.5 blocks per contest.

Pelicans Bracing For Herb Jones To Miss Rest Of Season

February 11th, 2025 at 11:56am CST by Luke Adams

There’s a good chance that Pelicans forward Herbert Jones will be shut down for the season, executive VP of basketball operations David Griffin said today to reporters, including Rod Walker of NOLA.com (Twitter link).

Jones has been out since January 8 due to a torn posterior labrum in his right shoulder. The club indicated at the time that he had been ruled out indefinitely.

As Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes tweeted at the time of Jones’ diagnosis, when a posterior labrum tear is small and the instability in the shoulder is minimal, a non-surgical treatment plan can improve the issue. In other cases, a surgical procedure is necessary.

It’s not clear whether or not Jones will go under the knife, but Griffin noted today that the forward has gotten opinions on the injury from multiple medical experts (Twitter link via Erin Summers).

The 35th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Jones has been a valuable role player for New Orleans over the course of his four NBA seasons, particularly on defense — he earned a spot on the All-Defensive First Team in 2023/24. The 6’8″ forward averaged 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.9 steals in 32.4 minutes per game this season across 20 appearances (all starts), with a shooting line of .436/.306/.825.

Jones is one of several Pelicans regulars whose 2024/25 campaign was derailed by health issues. With the team lottery-bound at 12-41, it sounds like the goal in New Orleans is to make sure he’s healthy for the start of next season.

Jones is under contract for two more seasons beyond this one — he’s set to make $13.9MM in 2025/26, with a $14.9MM salary for ’26/27. He would be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2027 if he doesn’t sign an extension before then.

Mavs Reportedly Seek Impact Perimeter Defender, Make Gafford Available

January 17th, 2025 at 4:42pm CST by Luke Adams

The Mavericks, who remain on the look for an impact perimeter defender, have dangled center Daniel Gafford in those talks, according to Christian Clark of The Athletic.

Clark first reported at the start of the month that Dallas was exploring the idea of pursuing a player who could upgrade the club’s perimeter defense. He mentioned Pelicans forward Herbert Jones at that time, but acknowledged that New Orleans was unlikely to move him.

Jones is now out indefinitely with a shoulder ailment, but prior to that injury, the Pelicans’ asking price for him was “extraordinarily high,” according to Clark, who doesn’t identify any other specific players the Mavs may be eyeing, noting that the options available on the trade market for a needle-moving impact defender may be limited.

Still, Clark’s suggestion that Dallas is open to making Gafford available is noteworthy. The Mavs gave up a late 2024 first-round pick for the veteran big man at last season’s deadline and he helped the team make a run to the NBA Finals, starting all 21 playoff games in the spring.

As effective as Gafford has been since arriving in Dallas, he’s essentially a backup center, averaging a modest 20.0 minutes per game this season as he has taken a back seat to rising second-year big man Dereck Lively. Gafford is contributing 11.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per night, with a .706 FG%. The Mavs have a -2.0 net rating in his minutes, compared to a +8.1 mark when Lively is on the floor.

It’s also worth mentioning that if Dallas needs to aggregate contracts to acquire a player earning $20MM or more, Gafford’s $13.4MM cap hit could be useful. Outside of Maxi Kleber ($11MM), every other Maverick earning above $4MM is a regular part of the rotation when healthy.

Gafford is under contract for one season beyond 2024/25, with a $14.4MM guaranteed salary for ’25/26. He’s currently back in the Mavs’ starting lineup while Lively recovers a right ankle sprain, which will sideline him again on Friday vs. Oklahoma City.

Pelicans’ Herb Jones Out Indefinitely With Shoulder Injury

January 10th, 2025 at 3:17pm CST by Rory Maher

Pelicans forward Herbert Jones has been diagnosed with a torn posterior labrum in his right shoulder, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link).

Jones, who sustained the injury in Wednesday’s loss to Portland, is out indefinitely. The 26-year-old underwent an MRI on Thursday which confirmed the injury, per the team.

As Will Guillory of The Athletic notes (via Twitter), the torn labrum is to the same shoulder that caused Jones to miss a little more than a month early in the season. That injury, which he sustained in late October, was described as a right shoulder strain and small low-grade partial thickness tear in his rotator cuff.

Frankly, it’s hard to even put into words how rotten the Pels’ injury luck has been this season. Jones’ latest injury came one day after Zion Williamson finally returned to action after missing two months with a hamstring strain. Jose Alvarado (hamstring), Brandon Ingram (ankle), Trey Murphy (hamstring, ankle), Dejounte Murray (broken hand), CJ McCollum (adductor strain), and Jordan Hawkins (back) have all had extended absences due to injuries as well.

There hasn’t been a single game in which all of the team’s rotation regulars have been active in 2024/25. The closest was probably opening night, when Murphy was still dealing with his hamstring issue — Murray fractured his hand that day, with McCollum, Jones and Williamson getting hurt shortly thereafter.

Injuries have unfortunately been a common theme for the Pelicans over the past few seasons, particularly for Ingram and Williamson. Now Jones’ season is seemingly in jeopardy after the labral tear, the same injury which cost Julius Randle most of last season.

A former second-round pick (No. 35 overall in 2022), Jones has been a valuable role player for New Orleans over the course of his four NBA seasons, particularly on defense — he earned a spot on the All-Defensive First Team in ’23/24. The Alabama native has averaged 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.9 steals in 20 appearances in ’24/25 (32.4 minutes), with a shooting line of .436/.306/.825.

At this point, the Pelicans will likely just be looking to get lucky in the 2025 draft lottery, as they hold the second-worst record in the NBA at 7-31. They’re 11.5 games out of the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.

Southwest Notes: Morant, Grizzlies, Jackson, Wemby, Pelicans

January 9th, 2025 at 10:53pm CST by Earnest Marshall

Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant made his return from injury on Thursday, as first announced by the team (Twitter link). Morant missed five games with an AC joint injury.

The Grizzlies went 2-3 without Morant, who is averaging 21.2 points, 7.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game this season. He finished with 27 points in a narrow loss to the Rockets in his return.

Morant wasn’t the only Grizzlies player back in action on Thursday, as Santi Aldama and Desmond Bane also made their returns. Aldama missed six games with an ankle injury, while Bane was only absent for Monday’s game against Dallas.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

The Grizzlies got more good news on the injury front, as GG Jackson was assigned to the Memphis Hustle for practice on Thursday (Twitter link via team). That means Jackson has practiced for three straight days, twice with the Hustle and once with the Grizzlies. Jackson hasn’t played at all this season after suffering an offseason foot injury, but was a bright spot last year when the Grizzlies were decimated by injuries, as he averaged 14.6 points while shooting 35.7% from deep as a rookie. He was elevated from a two-way contract to a standard deal after being the No. 45 pick in the 2023 draft.
Victor Wembanyama is establishing himself as the league’s best defender, with plenty of room to grow at 21 years old, Fred Katz of The Athletic writes. He’s leading the NBA in blocks by a wide margin. “It just strikes fear in opponents’ hearts,” Julian Champagnie said. “That’s the best part about it. It’s like, yeah, he’s tall. He almost blocks every shot that comes his way. So anybody who’s going to the basket, you got that little double-take to see where he’s at.” In another article by Jeff McDonald of San Antonio Express-News, players talked about what it takes to approach a defender like Wembanyama.
After suffering a shoulder sprain, Pelicans forward Herbert Jones will miss Friday’s game against the Sixers, Will Guillory of The Athletic relays (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Trey Murphy will miss his third straight game with an ankle sprain.