If Joe Dumars is looking to make an immediate impact, then he must view the 2025 NBA Draft as an opportunity to build for a future that may not include Zion Williamson. It's an admittedly bold strategy, but it represents an essential step toward the stability the New Orleans Pelicans have unfortunately lacked.
The ideal outcome would be for the Pelicans' incoming rookie to fit with Williamson, but based on the All-Star's unpredictable availability, selecting the best player available would be the best decision.
New Orleans' 21-61 record may suggest otherwise, but it remains one of the deeper and more balanced teams in the NBA. Injuries ravaged their ambitions in an almost unprecedented manner in 2024-25, but at full strength, the Pelicans have a strong foundation.
That includes lockdown defender Herbert Jones, rising scorer Trey Murphy III, veteran sharpshooter CJ McCollum, and promising center Yves Missi
There's also hope that Dejounte Murray will make a full recovery from the ruptured Achilles tendon that ended his season in January, although that admittedly continues the trend of injuries hanging over the Pelicans' head. Regardless, the talent level in New Orleans is unavoidable.
For as promising as that all may be, the Pelicans aren't in a position to settle for fit—even if it did slide all the way to No. 7 overall.
Pelicans must go BPA at 2025 NBA Draft—even if they aren't ideal Zion fit
The options at No. 7 are admittedly less appealing on paper than the top-four pick New Orleans had 48.1 percent odds of securing. Chances are, all of Ace Bailey, V.J. Edgecombe, Cooper Flagg, and Dylan Harper will be off the board, thus leaving the Pelicans without an option who has been commonly deemed as having star potential.
This is far from a four-player draft, however, and the Pelicans can't be afraid to take a chance on a prospect they believe can develop into a cornerstone.
Perhaps New Orleans will luck into having a chance to select Texas Longhorns swingman Tre Johnson, who some see as the best pure scorer in this class. It could also have a chance to select Duke Blue Devils sharpshooter Kon Knueppel, who projects to fit the modern mold, or 6'6" playmaker Kasparas Jakucionis.
New Orleans could even feed two birds with one scone by addressing the void at center by selecting projected top-10 picks Khaman Maluach or Derik Queen.
Regardless of what it ultimately does—and the pick could very well be an entirely different player—the Pelicans must ensure that the individual they select is more than just a complementary piece. This is a unique opportunity for New Orleans, a team with enough talent to avoid the lottery as soon as next season, to add something meaningful.
The roster might be crowded with talented pieces, but the sum of the parts remains unclear and Dumars can't afford to simply bide his time and hope for the best.
Instead, the Pelicans must be aggressive in identifying players who can develop into franchise building blocks. If that means ultimately creating competition at previously sorted positions, then that's a risk worth taking given how extensive the team's injury issues have been.
It's a bold move to go into the draft effectively planning to need to play without Williamson, but it's the reality that history has created for the Pelicans.