Entering the 2025 NBA offseason, there was constant chatter about what Zion Williamson's future looked like with the New Orleans Pelicans. When Joe Dumars was put in charge of the Pelicans, many fans thought he would enter a full reset and shake up this roster, starting with trading Zion. This, however, couldn't have been further from what actually has happened this summer.
Since the NBA draft, it feels like anytime Zion was brought up around Dumars, he had something positive to say. He preached that Z was going to take that next step as a leader this upcoming season and was committed to staying with the Pelicans. That being said, many people still felt like Zion should or would be traded, but according to recent comments Williamson made to Dumars, he is here to stay.
Dumars made a guest appearance on the New Orleans Saints broadcast during a preseason game against the Denver Broncos on Saturday, August 23rd. During his time on the broadcast, he said that Zion Williamson said, "[New Orleans] is home for me."
This solidifies even more what many fans expected, which is that Zion is here to stay with the Pelicans and wants to bring winning basketball back to the city. Even though the media continues to create narratives that he doesn't want to be in New Orleans, the 25-year-old All-Star continues to express just how loyal he is to New Orleans.
This report confirms what we already know
Through all the rumors of Zion being traded over the years, one thing remained consistent: he never asked for a trade. Even though the media painted him as someone who needed to be in a big market like New York, LA, or Chicago, Zion never once said anything that pointed to him not wanting to be in New Orleans.
The consistent loyalty between the front office and him has been incredible, and I think it will finally pay off this season. Every Pelicans fan deep down knew Zion wanted to be here, and this confirms it.
Both sides had their fair share of reasons to want to move on. For the front office, it was hard to constantly build teams around Zion just for him to play fewer than 60 games. And for Zion, being constantly blamed when the team fails could have put strain on a relationship with the organization.
Despite this, both sides remained positive and kept moving forward, which has led to what appears to be an extremely healthy relationship between Zion and the current front office under Dumars.
The patience from both sides has now set up the Pelicans for what I believe can be their best season in the Zion era, as Dumars did a fantastic job this summer building a true playoff contender.