Six years ago, David Griffin was hired by the New Orleans Pelicans to become their new Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations. Running an NBA team is a dream job by all means, but this was hardly an enviable position. Upon his arrival, Griffin was immediately tasked with resolving a tumultuous situation in the Bayou.
Anthony Davis had just spent months publicly declaring his disinterest in remaining a Pelican and stating his express desire to join LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Defusing that time bomb became Griffin's cross to bear. Six years later, his handling of the AD trade might actually be remembered as the high point of Griffin's time at the helm for New Orleans.
Now, he's been fired, leaving behind an equally precarious setup for his successor, Joe Dumars. The Pelicans have moved quickly since the end of their campaign, firing their head of basketball operations and filling his seat all within the first 48 hours of their offseason. They might have come out of the gates swinging, but their new era is already mired in indecision, leaving Joe Dumars stranded at a major fork in the road that'll have key ramifications for the Pelicans for years to come.
Joe Dumars's choice to trade or retain Zion Williamson will determine the future of the Pelicans
Before Joe Dumars could even unpack and start decorating his office, he's already been tasked with carrying the weight of an entire franchise on his shoulders. This offseason could prove to be the most important one in the history of New Orleans basketball. For one thing, the Pelicans have the fourth-best odds of landing the number one pick in an absolutely loaded draft class.
If they draw the first pick, Dumars will have the decision made for him there, with Duke's Cooper Flagg being the clear consensus top prospect. Anywhere else, though, and he'll have a potentially franchise-altering decision on his hands. Not only will he have to deal with the pressure of saving the Pelicans, but he'll be staring down his previous draft demons in the face, too.
As monumental as the draft will be for New Orleans, it's not even the most important part of Dumars's to-do list this summer. Instead, his priority will be deciding Zion Williamson's future with the Pelicans and, as a result, the franchise's future as a whole.
There were rumblings that the team was considering moving on from Zion before this past season's trade deadline. For whatever reason, David Griffin and the brass at the time decided against it, delaying the decision until the offseason and unknowingly passing off the responsibility onto Joe Dumars and his staff.
It's rumored that Gayle Benson and the Pelicans' ownership group have given their new head of basketball operations a mandate to trade Zion Williamson. The same sources say that Dumars is hell-bent on connecting with Zion and repairing any bridges between him and the team that may have been disconnected. New Orleans handpicked Dumars for this job, likely well before they even opened the position for him. Now, it's on him to make this crucial decision — one that'll surely have lasting ramifications for years to come.