Zion Williamson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

And-Ones: Award Predictions, Top Forwards, Free Agency, Cui

August 26th, 2025 at 7:15pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Will Nikola Jokic win a fourth Most Valuable Player award in 2025/26? He’s the top choice among a panel of ESPN Insiders to capture the league’s top individual honor next season. Luka Doncic ranks as the second pick, with reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander getting the third-most votes.

The panel also offers their predictions on five other major awards, including Rookie of the Year (no surprise, they picked No. 1 draft choice Cooper Flagg) and Sixth Man of the Year (Alex Caruso and Naz Reid received the most votes}.

We have more from around the international basketball world:

Who’s the top forward in the NBA? Giannis Antetokounmpo is in a class of his own, according to The Athletic’s Zach Harper. The Bucks superstar holds the tier-one level all by himself in “The Bounce’s Top 40 Forwards.” Jayson Tatum, Paolo Banchero and Zion Williamson are in the tier-two “Still Elite, Just Not Giannis” level. Heading up the group of six players who round out the top 10 and start the tier-three level is Draymond Green.
Free agency isn’t what it used to be in the NBA, with most star players signing extensions before they ever reach that point. HoopsHype’s Alberto De Roa examines the decline in free agency’s importance, noting that only one player this summer who changed teams — new Bucks center Myles Turner — secured a contract with at least $100MM in guaranteed money.
Cui Yongxi – also known as Jacky Cui – is working toward an NBA comeback after tearing his ACL in December with the G League’s Long Island Nets, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets. He has been working out in Brooklyn and is now participating in 5-on-5 scrimmages in Los Angeles. The 22-year-old free agent guard had been on a two-way contract and appeared in five games with the Nets but was waived by Brooklyn in December following the injury.

And-Ones: ESPN Panel, Top SGs, Lundberg, Hayes-Davis

August 25th, 2025 at 6:18pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Spurs and Hawks are considered the co-favorites to make the biggest leap in the NBA during the upcoming season, according to a panel of ESPN Insiders.

The panel made its predictions on a wide variety of topics, including the team most likely to make a big move before the trade deadline (the Warriors received the most votes) and the next superstar to request a trade (Zion Williamson was the top vote-getter).

Here’s more from around the international basketball world:

Anthony Edwards tops the list of shooting guards ranked by The Athletic’s Zach Harper. Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell fill out tier one — players who are potential MVP candidates — in “The Bounce’s Top 40 Shooting Guards.” Desmond Bane, Klay Thompson, Bradley Beal and Zach LaVine comprised the second tier as players “who can take over” a game.
Gabriel ‘Iffe’ Lundberg won’t return to Serbia’s Partizan Belgrade, according to Sportando. The Danish guard, according to a TeleSport report, has drawn interest from both Zenit St. Petersburg and Olympiacos. Lundberg had a brief stay in the NBA, playing four games with Phoenix during the 2021/22 season.
Tel Aviv’s owner Ofer Yannay had a verbal agreement this offseason with Nigel Hayes-Davis in the event that the free agent forward couldn’t find an NBA contract. Hayes-Davis, who played in Turkey last season, wound up signing a one-year deal with the Suns. “We were sure we were bringing Nigel Hayes-Davis. We were sure it was happening. He had an option to go to the NBA, and he basically said, ‘I’ll try to get a contract in the NBA, and if I don’t, I’ll come to you,’” Yannay said, per Eurohoops.net.

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.”

Pelicans To Guarantee Zion Williamson’s 2025/26 Salary

July 15th, 2025 at 2:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Zion Williamson‘s salary for the 2025/26 season will become fully guaranteed if he remains under contract with the Pelicans through Tuesday, and – unsurprisingly – that’s the plan, league sources tell Shamit Dua of In The NO.

If Williamson were placed on waivers today, the Pelicans would be on the hook for just $7,889,218 of his $39,446,090 salary for the coming season and would wipe his ’26/27 and ’27/28 salaries off their books entirely. But there’s no indication that the team has ever given real consideration to taking that route with the 25-year-old, who has two All-Star berths on his résumé despite battling injury issues since entering the NBA.

After Williamson appeared in a career-high 70 games in 2023/24, he was limited to just 30 appearances in ’24/25 due to hamstring and back issues. It was the fourth time in the six years since he was drafted first overall that he failed to play more than 30 games in a season. As usual, the former Duke star put up superlative numbers when healthy, including 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.2 steals in 28.6 minutes per game.

Even outside of Williamson’s injury woes, it was a tumultuous year for the Pelicans, who won just 21 games and then underwent a front office overhaul this spring. Williamson, meanwhile, was suspended for one game in January after being late to a team flight and faced allegations of rape and abuse in the spring, raising questions about his future in New Orleans.

However, new executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars stated last month that Williamson is still considered a franchise cornerstone, suggesting at the time that there were no plans to trade (or waive) him this summer.

Williamson’s contract includes pathways for him to “re-guarantee” his future salary each season. He could guarantee 40% of his 2026/27 salary by playing at least 41 games next season; another 20% by reaching 51 games; and another 20% by appearing in at least 61 games. The final 20% would be guaranteed if he meets certain weigh-in benchmarks — that was the only requirement he met this past season, which is why only 20% of his $39.4MM salary was guaranteed until today.

July 15 is the annual decision date on Williamson, so if he doesn’t re-guarantee 100% of his 2026/27 salary based on those games-played and weigh-in requirements this coming season, he would have to remain under contract through July 15, 2026 to lock in his full $42,166,510 for ’26/27.

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.

And-Ones: Howard, Jordan, Shoe Deals, 2019 Redraft

June 15th, 2025 at 8:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Dwight Howard was ejected Saturday during his BIG3 debut for getting into a fight with former NBA player Lance Stephenson, BasketNews relays. The scuffle began after Howard, who plays for the Los Angeles Riot, appeared to get elbowed in the chest by Stephenson of Miami 305. Howard swatted Stephenson’s arm away, and they began exchanging punches (video link from Ballislife.com).

“This is not exactly how I pictured my debut going,” Howard said in a statement released by his team.

Stephenson was also involved in an incident with L.A.’s Jordan Crawford, BasketNews adds. After a brief confrontation, Crawford put his hand in Stephenson’s face and touched his nose. Stephenson responded by throwing a punch, but both players stayed in the game.

Howard, an eight-time All-Star and a member of this year’s Basketball Hall of Fame class, is one of the most significant names ever to join the BIG3, which is now in its eighth season.

“Dwight’s legacy speaks for itself,” league co-founder Ice Cube said. “He still has fun playing the game … and now he gets to show his full skill set in the BIG3.”

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

Michael Jordan is looking forward to joining the NBC Sports broadcasting team when the network resumes covering the NBA this fall, announcer Noah Eagle said during an appearance on the Awful Announcing Podcast with Brandon Contes. Jordan will serve as a special contributor, but his duties haven’t been defined. Eagle said NBC Sports executive Jon Miller, a longtime friend of Jordan who arranged his hiring, told him that the NBA legend is “legitimately excited.” “And I asked him, I said, ‘Is he legitimately in on this?’ And he was like, ‘Yes, he’s fully, fully in,’” Eagle said. “Whatever that means is great. I have no idea what he’s going to be doing, but I just love the fact that I can walk around and be like, ‘You know my colleague?’ ‘Who’s that?’ ‘You know, Michael Jordan. No big deal. Just a Hall of Famer. Some would say he’s the greatest basketball player ever, but, yeah, he’s also my co-worker.’”
Jason Jones and Shakeia Taylor of The Athletic examine the evolution of shoe contracts among NBA players, noting that Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton is debuting the Puma Hali 1 during the Finals. Jones and Taylor state that players are placing greater emphasis on ownership and control of their brands.
Memphis guard Ja Morant rises to the No. 1 pick as HoopsHype conducts a 2019 redraft. Cleveland guard Darius Garland also moves ahead of New Orleans forward Zion Williamson, the actual No. 1 pick, with Miami guard Tyler Herro and Washington guard Jordan Poole rounding out the top five.

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.”

And-Ones: European Prospects, Extension Candidates, Dynasties

June 3rd, 2025 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams

As we outlined last month when we passed along the list of prospects invited to the NBA’s draft combine, a player who is invited to the combine and declines to attend without an excused absence becomes ineligible to be drafted.

Many of the prospects who were granted excused absences from the combine in Chicago were international players whose teams were still playing. According to Erik Slater of ClutchPoints (Twitter link), the NBA is holding pre-draft activities (measurements, drills, etc.) this week in Treviso, Italy for those players whose commitments overseas prevented them from traveling to Chicago.

That group, Slater says, includes Noa Essengue (who is playing in Germany), Joan Beringer (Slovenia), Nolan Traore (France), Ben Saraf (Germany), Hugo Gonzalez (Spain), Bogoljub Markovic (Serbia), and Noah Penda (France).

It’s unclear whether all of those players will be able to attend the event in Treviso, since some of their seasons still aren’t over. Essengue and Safar, for example, both play for Ratiopharm Ulm, which is currently competing in the semifinals of the Basketball Bundesliga playoffs in Germany. Game 2 of that series will be played on Wednesday.

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

While the free agent class of 2025 isn’t particularly star-studded, there will be no shortage of veteran extension candidates to monitor this offseason, as Bobby Marks details for ESPN. Marks takes an in-depth look at which players seem likely to sign new deals in the coming months, including Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox, and Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr., and which players are longer shots for new contracts. That latter group includes players who would benefit financially from waiting, like Lakers guard Austin Reaves, and some who are unlikely to get an offer from their current team, such as Pelicans forward Zion Williamson.
Is it bad for business that the NBA’s age of dynasties appears to be over? Tania Ganguli of The New York Times considers that topic in an in-depth story open to non-subscribers.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report proposes a complex three-team deal involving the Celtics, Mavericks, and Nets that would save Boston a projected $230MM+, fortify Dallas’ backcourt, and send a pair of draft assets to Brooklyn along with mostly expiring contracts.

Zion Williamson Denies Allegations Of Rape, Abuse

May 30th, 2025 at 1:34pm CST by Luke Adams

1:34 pm: Williamson’s legal representatives have issued a statement “unequivocally” denying the allegations made in the lawsuit, according to Front Office Sports (Twitter link).

“We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and we unequivocally deny them,” the statement reads. “The allegations contained in the complaint are categorically false and reckless. This is the plaintiff’s third set of attorneys. This appears to be an attempt to exploit a professional athlete driven by a financial motive rather than any legitimate grievance.

“Mr. Williamson and the plaintiff never dated, but did maintain a consensual, casual relationship that began more than six years ago, when he was 18 years old. That relationship ended years ago. At no point during or immediately after that relationship did the plaintiff raise any concerns. Only after the friendship ended did she begin demanding millions of dollars.

“Mr. Williamson reported the plaintiff’s extortion attempts to law enforcement. We understand that an arrest warrant was issued in connection with that report, and we are prepared to provide the court with documentation that supports these facts. Mr. Williamson also intends to file counterclaims and seek significant damages for this defamatory lawsuit.

“While these allegations are false, we recognize the seriousness of the claims and welcome the opportunity to prove the truth in court. We are confident that the legal process will expose the truth and fully vindicate Mr. Williamson.”

12:41 pm: A woman who says she dated Zion Williamson between 2018 and 2023 has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles accusing the Pelicans forward of rape and “physical, emotional, and financial” abuse, according to reports from TMZ and Margaret Fleming of Front Office Sports, who obtained copies of the suit.

As TMZ details, the lawsuit alleges that Williamson raped and assaulted the woman – identified only as Jane Doe from Seattle – in September 23, 2020 in Southern California and again on October 10, 2020.

“These two incidents were not isolated,” according to the lawsuit, which states that Williamson “continued to abuse, rape, assault, and batter Plaintiff in California and other states, including Louisiana and Texas, until the relationship ended in 2023.”

Williamson’s accuser alleges that he strangled her multiple times and pointed a loaded gun at her, causing her to “reasonably fear for her life,” per TMZ. She also claims that Williamson threatened to have his security guard shoot her in the head and kill her parents, and that he entered her apartment unannounced to steal her belongings and abuse her.

The lawsuit, which includes several other allegations, states that Williamson was “either drunk or on cocaine” when many of the incidents occurred.

There are nine causes of action laid out in the suit, according to Fleming: assault, battery, sexual battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, domestic violence, stalking, burglary, false imprisonment, and conversion. Williamson’s accuser is seeking unspecified damages.

“We don’t want to litigate this case in the media,” Doe’s attorney Sam E. Taylor told TMZ. “But I will say this is a very serious case as reflected in the pleadings that have been filed and our client looks forward to her day in court to seek justice in this matter.”

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Williamson has battled injuries during his six seasons in the NBA, but has consistently performed at an All-Star level when healthy, averaging 24.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 31.4 minutes per contest across 214 career regular season games.

Williamson is owed approximately $126.5MM across the next three seasons, though that money isn’t currently fully guaranteed. A recent report indicated that an offseason trade involving the 24-year-old was considered “very unlikely.”