Rumors

External trade interest in New Orleans' Trey Murphy III remains intense, league sources say. Yet I was told this week that the inquiries have all been of an inbound nature. League sources say that the Pelicans have not offered Murphy anywhere and that this is the first time their new front office regime headed by Joe Dumars has been truly willing to field offers for Murphy. As one team interested in Murphy put it to me this week: "They want a lot." Two teams known to have expressed interest in the 25-year-old sharpshooter, I'm told, are Detroit and Indiana.

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Furthering this initial tension, when Cosgrave was first hired as a consultant, his specific role and responsibilities were not broadly communicated within the organization. This created some uncertainty among staff about his purpose and scope. It is a dynamic the organization has since acknowledged. By the time the season ended, many on the staff believed their fate had been sealed regardless of their performance. “It felt like no matter how good of a job they did, or how much the players liked working with them, the outcome was going to be the same,” one source with direct knowledge of the situation said.

In the NO

The organization has made clear Dumars has no intention of being constrained by budget in rebuilding the medical and performance department, and is prepared to spend what is required to bring in the caliber of people the organization is targeting. The hires of Cosgrave and Sharpe reflect that commitment.

In the NO

Pelicans Film Room: "About half the team have been to games. They wanted to see it and feel it... [Queen] was talking about the intensity like "I haven't seen that in the regular season" I said "You're not going to see that in the regular season" -- Joe Dumars on players attending playoff games

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Pelicans Film Room: "When they lost only then did I reach out to him, the next day... I texted him "Should we have a conversation?" and he said "Yeah, give me a day or two though. I am just trying to breath right now" That was the first time I reached out to him" -- Joe Dumars on Jamahl Mosley

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Pelicans Film Room: "We haven't changed our opinions on Zion. I'd love to see Jamahl coach Zion. I'd love to see him get Zion to defend and do all the things he said. Lets see what we have here" -- Joe Dumars on Zion Williamson

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Will Guillory: Joe Dumars on Jamahl Mosley: "Jamahl was the person who aligned with us and our vision more than anyone else."

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Will Guillory: Joe Dumars' statement on the Jamahl Mosley hire: “Jamahl has earned tremendous respect across the NBA for his leadership, professionalism, and the strong relationships he develops with players and staff. He has consistently demonstrated an ability to develop young talent while establishing teams that compete with toughness, discipline, and togetherness. His teams reflect his coaching style through their defensive intensity, effort, preparation, and commitment to playing the right way. Those qualities reinforce the long-term stability of a winning culture.”

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Assistant coaches Casey Hill and Corey Brewer are among those who will not return, sources confirmed. The Pelicans are expected to move in a different direction with most of the coaching staff. On the business side and not under the purview of Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, Joe Dumars, T.V. Studio Host, Erin Summers, and Studio Analyst, Wesley Johnson are also among those who were let go.

In the NO

Jake Fischer: There were indeed some sweeping changes in New Orleans today, where a significant number of Pelicans staffers were told their contracts won’t be renewed under chief executive Joe Dumars. New Orleans is in the beginning stages of its head coaching search, and there will be a lot of roles to fill once that primary decision is made.

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It's fair, then, to wonder if the Pelicans might trade Williamson this offseason. According to Pelicans executive vice president Joe Dumars, though, that is not the plan. "Listen, we have no intentions of doing that," Dumars told reporters Tuesday. "We're going into the offseason looking forward to Zion coming back next year and playing great again next year."

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Asked about the fit between Williamson and Queen, Dumars more or less laughed off the concerns without addressing the specific strengths and weaknesses of the two players. "Just in general, the question in general, I always kind of chuckle when I hear people say, 'Well, can they play together?'" Dumars said, citing how "people questioned (Jayson) Tatum and (Jaylen) Brown" and then made a reference to his own playing career. "I was laughing this morning, like, I didn't know if I could fit with Isiah (Thomas) or not, but I knew we both had great IQs and we'd figure it out," Dumars said. "And sometimes you gotta let players figure it out. It can't just be, 'Well, they can't play together.'"

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Pelicans Film Room: "If you look at both #1 seeds, he was critical in building both of those. You look at OKC and DET right now, his print is on all of that... If you see how those guys play, its what I have been talking about, and that's why Troy was my first hire" -- Joe Dumars on Troy Weaver

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Pelicans Film Room: "I was really proud of him this year... I know I saw a guy that there were several times I thought we wouldn't have him that night and he said no, I'm coming. I'm gonna show up" -- Joe Dumars tells two stories about Zion's season

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