The New Orleans Pelicans are hiring NBA Hall of Famer and current VP of basketball operations Joe Dumars to become their new president of basketball operations after recently firing David Griffin on Monday, first reported by Shams Charania of ESPN.

Dumars, 61, has served as the league's executive vice president and head of basketball operations since May 2022. Before stepping into the NBA headquarters, Dumars was the president of basketball operations for the Detroit Pistons from 2000-14.

He was named the league's Executive of the Year for the 2002-03 season and built the team that won the 2004 NBA Finals.

After being fired by Detroit in 2014, Dumars again stepped into a front office in 2019 for the Sacramento Kings, serving as a special advisor to the general manager. He was later named the interim executive vice president of basketball operations in 2020, followed by being named chief strategy officer before accepting a position with the league office and Commissioner Adam Silver.

Dumars, a Louisiana native, held discussions with the Pelicans about a potential front-office role. Griffin had been on the hot seat throughout the 2024-25 season, as the organization held conversations with Dumars dating back to January, league sources told ClutchPoints.

With tensions rising regarding how Griffin handled the roster, especially regarding Zion Williamson, the potential of Dumars joining the organization grew. While Griffin was let go on Monday, the team is holding onto head coach Willie Green. Dumars will evaluate the situation further before coming to a conclusion on Green's future with the team.

The Pelicans decided to fire Griffin on Monday in the immediate aftermath of the team finishing 21-61, their worst record since the 2011-12 season when they also won only 21 games. With Griffin gone, a lot of uncertainty now overshadows this organization, starting with the future of All-Star forward Williamson.

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Whether the franchise looks to move the former first-overall pick in the offseason is a major question surrounding the Pelicans.

Team governor Gayle Benson has avoided the luxury tax thresholds recently, yet New Orleans appears committed to turning things around quickly. It will be interesting to see if Dumars is given full control to build the team as he sees fit with no cap or financial limitations coming into play.

“I am committed to hiring the right person to lead our basketball operations department and deliver an NBA Championship to our city,” Benson said in a statement after firing Griffin on Monday. “That is what our fans deserve… While our focus is a championship on the court, we are also making sure that we do the same off the court, by continuing to prioritize the fan experience, and ensuring our games are easily accessible across our entire Gulf South region on multiple convenient platforms.

“In addition, we are working to determine the best path forward to transform the Smoothie King Center into the best arena in the NBA. We look forward to delivering on these priorities for our fans.”

Entering the offseason, the Pelicans are projected to have $176 million committed in salaries, the 15th-highest payroll in the league. New Orleans own the fourth-best odds to receive the first pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.