Zion Williamson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pelicans Notes: Williamson, Green, Fears, Jordan

October 28th, 2025 at 10:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Zion Williamson sat out the Pelicans’ game Monday against Boston due to a left foot bone contusion. Without their star forward, the Celtics blew them out 122-90. Williamson, who practiced on a limited basis on Tuesday and is questionable to play Wednesday at Denver, told Rod Walker of NOLA.com that the injury is minor.

“Right now we’re in a day-to-day thing,” he said. “But nothing major. Nothing that is going to keep me out for a long time. Just day to day.”

Williamson was injured during Friday’s game against the Spurs on a put-back dunk. He stepped on the foot of Victor Wembanyama.

“Landed on someone’s foot and the side of my foot just banged the ground,” Williamson said. “The pain level didn’t really pick up until a day or two days later. I spoke with the team, made the best decision on it. Got it looked at.”

We have more on the Pelicans:

Is head coach Willie Green already on the hot seat after the team’s 0-3 start? Green spoke of the team’s “lack of toughness” after Monday’s debacle, William Guillory of The Athletic writes. “I’m disappointed in how we approached the game. I’m disappointed in the lack of toughness on the floor more than anything. That’s the part that’s difficult,” Green said. “It’s one thing to not win a game. It’s a whole other thing to get kind of punked on your home floor. And I’m a part of that.”
Lottery pick Jeremiah Fears made his first career start in Williamson’s absence, Les East of NOLA.com notes. It didn’t go well. The No. 7 overall pick missed 10 of the 11 shots he attempted and finished with two points, two assists and one steal in 26 minutes.
Veteran big man DeAndre Jordan made his Pelicans debut after signing a one-year deal on Friday. He made an immediate impact, according to Walker, scoring and getting fouled on a dunk just 14 seconds after entering the game. Jordan, 37, finished with seven points and five rebounds in 11 minutes.

Pelicans Notes: Zion, Matkovic, Missi, Jordan, Springer

October 27th, 2025 at 6:38pm CST by Rory Maher

Pelicans star Zion Williamson is dealing with a bone contusion in his left foot and will miss Monday’s contest vs. Boston, head coach Willie Green told reporters, including Will Guillory of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Williamson has been hampered by a variety of injuries over the course of his NBA career, having played just 214 regular season games through six years in the league. This is the start of his seventh season.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Williamson has averaged 27.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 4.0 steals through two games (35.0 MPG). New Orleans lost both contests by a combined 10 points, but were plus-six in Williamson’s minutes.

Considering he was questionable earlier on Monday, it seems likely that Williamson’s foot issue will be a short-term injury. Still, it’s at least mildly concerning that he’s already missing a game.

Here’s more from New Orleans:

On a more positive note, second-year big man Karlo Matkovic will be active for tonight’s game after missing the first two contests of the season due to lower back spasms (Twitter link). 2024 first-round pick Yves Missi (right ankle spain) will also return to action following a one-game absence.
DeAndre Jordan‘s contract is fully guaranteed, a league source tells Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). The veteran center, who spent the past two seasons with Denver, signed a one-year, veteran’s minimum deal with New Orleans on Friday. Jordan, 37, will earn a prorated minimum salary of $3,592,381, with the Pelicans taking on a cap hit of $2,269,880.
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link), the Birmingham Squadron — the Pelicans’ G League affiliate — have added Jaden Springer to their roster. The 23-year-old guard made New Orleans’ regular season roster, but was waived to make room for Jordan.

Southwest Notes: Zion, Bey, Alvarado, DSJ, Spurs

October 5th, 2025 at 11:09am CST by Luke Adams

Zion Williamson was limited to just 30 games last season for health reasons, while Trey Murphy‘s year came to an early end due to shoulder surgery. So it was a very encouraging sign for the Pelicans that Williamson (15 points) and Murphy (18 points) were their leading scorers in their preseason opener. New Orleans became the first NBA team to play a game in Australia, winning an exhibition contest over Melbourne United on Friday.

“It was electric,” Pelicans head coach Willie Green said, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com. “The fans were in tune. They were engaged. It was a really great platform to come here and play high-level competition.”

Green lauded Williamson for his defensive activity after he picked up a pair of steals on Friday. That effort on the defensive end was on display again on Sunday as the Pelicans won their matchup against the South East Melbourne Phoenix. Williamson scored just eight points, but racked up nine rebounds (eight defensive), three steals, and two blocks in 15 minutes of action en route to a 127-92 win.

As good as Williamson was, it was new Pelican Saddiq Bey who stole the show in Sunday’s victory. Bey, who hasn’t played a regular season game since March 2024 due to an ACL tear, had 21 points in 21 minutes, knocking down four three-pointers and registering a game-high +27 plus-minus mark.

“I am just grateful to be out here,” Bey said in a post-game interview, according to Walker. “The opportunity to play in Australia is is a blessing.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado departed Sunday’s game in the third quarter due to an apparent right leg injury, Walker notes. Green said after the game that Alvarado will be reevaluated when the team returns home to New Orleans.
Within an extensive breakdown of takeaways from the Mavericks‘ training camp, Grant Afseth of Dallas Hoops Journal writes that head coach Jason Kidd praised Dennis Smith Jr. as a camp standout, lauding his “energy.” Smith is on a non-guaranteed contract and has an uphill battle to earn a regular season roster spot, but it sounds like he’s doing all he can to make his case.
After spending most of last season in the role of “acting” Spurs head coach, Mitch Johnson has the permanent title heading into 2025/26. Running a training camp for the first time, he has made an effort to implement his own style while carrying over many of the lessons he learned from longtime San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich, as Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News details (subscription required). “(Last season) we were all just trying to maintain what was already going on, the things we put in during training camp, the principles we had,” veteran forward Harrison Barnes said. “Coming into this year, there’s just building blocks that will be different that (Johnson) can say, ‘OK look, I have full ownership of the things that are going on.'”

Pelicans Notes: Williamson, Looney, Poole

September 24th, 2025 at 8:10am CST by Dana Gauruder

Zion Williamson is getting some tough love from executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars and that’s just fine with the talented Pelicans forward, according to Brett Martel of The Associated Press.

“He’s going to hold me accountable, and as he holds me accountable, he’s going to give me a lot of responsibility as well, which I’m excited for,” Williamson said. “I know he’s going to hold me to a really high standard, and if I slip up or anything, I know he’s going to be right there to make sure I get right back on the path.”

The oft-injured Williamson appeared in just 30 games last season. He’s had numerous frank conversations with Dumars and general manager Troy Weaver, who have been impressed with his commitment to conditioning.

“They embraced me,” Williamson said, per Rod Walker of NOLA.com. “I told them, ‘I’m not going to let y’all down.’ That helps a lot that they really believe in me. They are going to hold me accountable and with that accountability they will give me a lot of responsibility. And I’m here for it.”

We have more on the Pelicans:

Longtime Warriors big man Kevon Looney believes the Pelicans have the pieces in place to move up the Western Conference standings. Looney signed a two-year deal with New Orleans as a free agent. “It’s a young team that has a chance to be really special,” he said in a video posted by the team (Twitter link). “I want to be part of a team that’s striving in the direction where they feel like they can make that jump. Sometimes when you go to a team you feel that it’s a total rebuild, but I feel like they already had the pieces — they just had be healthy.”
Coach Willie Green says Jordan Poole, whom the Pelicans acquired in a trade with Washington, feels rejuvenated by the change of scenery. “We’re getting Jordan at a really key point in his career,” Green told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “He goes to Golden State after being drafted there and wins a championship. He signs the big contract. He goes to D.C. and he’s playing on a team where at the end of it they don’t have a chance to compete for the playoffs. So, coming here, he’s excited. He’s excited to have an opportunity to compete. I love what he brings to the table. He’s 26 years old. He works his tail off to put himself in a position to step on the floor and be really good. We’re getting him at a good time, man. So, I’m about having an opportunity to coach him.”
In case you missed it, Dumars touched on a number of topics with the media earlier this week. Get all the details here.

Joe Dumars Discusses Zion, Expectations For Pelicans, More

September 22nd, 2025 at 4:15pm CST by Rory Maher

As we relayed in a separate story, Joe Dumars told reporters on Monday that Pelicans wings Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones will be full participants in training camp this fall.

New Orleans’ new head of basketball operations made several other comments worth noting during his media session. Here are some highlights:

Addressing oft-injured star forward Zion Williamson, Dumars said he has reiterated “responsibility” and “accountability” to the former No. 1 overall pick (Twitter link via Will Guillory of The Athletic). Dumars also wants Williamson to fully grasp the heightened expectations that come with his level of talent.
Dumars said he told his colleagues during a meeting with the coaching staff this morning that he doesn’t have any set expectations for the Pelicans this season in terms of wins and losses (Twitter video link via the team). However, he does expect New Orleans to be a “high-competing team every night,” and believes that if that comes to fruition, “the wins will take care of themselves.”
Dumars said he has been speaking to head coach Willie Green on a daily basis. He added that his offseason communication with the coaching staff has been vital (Twitter link via Guillory).
According to Guillory (Twitter link), Dumars said the controversial draft-day trade to acquire big man Derik Queen doesn’t mean the Pelicans have a “playoffs-or-bust” approach this season. Dumars said the team was and still is focused on building a deep roster that can be competitive every game.
Speaking of Queen, Dumars said the Pelicans have been encouraging him to get in better shape while he rehabilitates from wrist surgery, as sideline reporter Erin Summers tweets.
The Pelicans have been hit hard by injuries for several seasons. Dumars said he has spent extended time with the medical staff and made some “tweaks” to their processes this offseason, per Summers (Twitter link).
Dumars has been encouraged by Jeremiah Fears‘ work ethic, as the team has had to force the 18-year-old guard to stay out of the gym at times (Twitter link via Summers). New Orleans selected Fears No. 7 overall in June’s draft.
“In order to be a contender you have to be obsessed with (basketball),” Dumars said, citing Fears and trade acquisition Jordan Poole as players who fit that bill (Twitter link via Summer).

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.