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[Saba Sports News] The Zion Williamson era in New Orleans appears to be nearing its end—and the franchise is hoping the next chapter will begin with another Duke standout: Cooper Flagg.
After yet another injury-plagued and underwhelming season, the Pelicans fired executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin, replacing him with Louisiana native and former Pistons president Joe Dumars.
The move marks a much-needed shift for a franchise that, dating back to its Hornets days, has won just two playoff series in 23 years. Still, Dumars’ exact approach remains to be seen.
When healthy, Williamson is undeniably the Pelicans’ most dominant player—and one of the most physically imposing forces in the league. But staying healthy has been the exception, not the rule.
Since being drafted No. 1 overall in 2019, Williamson has missed 54 more regular-season games than he’s played and has yet to appear in a single postseason game for New Orleans.
His persistent injury issues, along with reported concerns about his conditioning and off-court habits, have prompted serious internal conversations about his future with the team. That said, the Pelicans may be reluctant to move on without a clear successor—particularly someone with the upside of projected No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg.
“Early word out of New Orleans is that Dumars wants to fully evaluate his new situation before deciding to outright shop Zion Williamson,” reported Marc Stein and Jake Fischer via *The Stein Line*. “That said, organizational exasperation with Williamson is very real after he failed for the fourth time in six seasons to play more than 30 games.”
Stein and Fischer also noted growing league-wide skepticism that the Pelicans will continue to build around Williamson—especially if they win the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery and secure the right to select Flagg.
Barring an unforeseen setback, Flagg is widely expected to be the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft, joining a line of Duke alums that includes Paolo Banchero, Kyrie Irving, and, of course, Williamson himself.
Back in 2019, landing the No. 1 pick made New Orleans’ decision easy. With a 12.5% shot at winning the top pick again in 2025, the Pelicans can only hope for the same clarity—because if they do, it might finally mark the end of the Zion era and the beginning of something new.