Squawk Box: Latest on Gayle Benson, Joe Dumars, Troy Weaver, Bryson Graham and More
A round up of chatter around the Pelicans as they transition to a new regime
It’s been nearly two weeks since the Pelicans formally introduced new Executive Vice President of Basketball Operation, Joe Dumars. The press conference itself was an organizational show of force — with almost the entire business arm, marketing group, front office, and coaching staffs present. The front row seats, of course, were reserved for the ownership cohort with Ben Hales, Greg Bensel, Dennis Lauscha, and Gayle Benson attending. The Pelicans’ leadership group was headed by Bryson Graham, Swin Cash, and Willie Green. Green very prominently received welcoming pleasantries from the ownership group before the ceremony kicked off. Graham and Cash were not afforded the same welcome.
As the ceremonies kicked off, the audience was treated to a rare public speaking appearance from Benson. Benson introduced Dumars, and lauded his experience, toughness, and honesty. In the introduction, Benson let it be known that she has, “promised him every resource he need to win,” and that Dumars would be able to “make any decision he deems necessary”.
Dumars himself echoed Bensons' sentiments. Regarding the mandates, Dumars responded, “I read that last week, that I have a mandate. If I have, nobody has called me and told me that. Absolutely zero".
To be fair, Benson is undeniably invested in Joe Dumars — league sources indicate his contract far eclipses that of his predecessor, David Griffin. Yet her public insistence that he has full decision making authority rings more like strategic optics than unconditional trust. The public declaration projects an image of autonomy, with Dumars wearing the successes and failures, but it also shields Benson from direct accountability, even as she remains the unseen hand guiding major decisions.
Now of course, we here at In The N.O. have outlined the major decisions in front of Dumars:
Retain Willie Green
Trade Zion Williamson
The Green situation in particular is one I am keen to observe. As I reported earlier, Green has very little support left in the building, and I am told that doesn’t just end with the players. Green’s ability to connect with people was once touted as one of his greatest strengths, but that reputation has eroded significantly. Sources close to the situation indicate he has struggled to foster meaningful relationships within the organization—to the point where he no longer retains supporters in the front office. Perhaps it should come as no surprise that Green was conspicuously left out of Swin Cash’s goodbye video.
Front-office skepticism aside, Green’s job security ultimately hinges on Benson—and her support hasn’t wavered. Her inclusion of him in the Saints war room during the NFL draft is not a privilege extended to past Pelicans coaches or executives. Dumars will have to weigh Benson’s support against the dissent below. At the moment it appears Dumars is still sorting through all the information and has not reached any firm decisions on Green or Williamson.
Inside Dumars' First Two Weeks
It's never easy to take on the lead decision maker role. There are a litany of organizational tasks to conquer, and that is before you get into any basketball decisions. Dumars first has to decide what kind of organization he wants to build. “I had to deal with all 30 teams, every day,” Dumars recounted at the press conference. “In the course of my position at the league office, what you end up seeing is how every single team runs their business”.
Dumars intends to utilize his experience at the league office, and implement the best practices from each organization he observed. In order to do that, he will first have to gain an understanding of the people he has been task to lead.
”I intend to get to know people first,” Dumars admitted in his presser. “I don’t know the culture inside the building, I don’t know the people.” Part of this process will involve Dumars, by his own admission, listening more than talking. Yet how much of that has transpired in the short time since his arrival?
Pelicans sources indicate there has been a lack of clarity these first couple of weeks. Understandably, there is a lot on Dumars' plate, and it will take time to get an opportunity to truly get in front of everyone. But staffers have expressed a level of uncertainty since Dumars' arrival. There has been a restricted flow of information from the top down. Now this is not unusual for an organization to experience during a time of transition. Dumars still needs time to settle into his new role and home.
While this maybe common practice in the early days, many staffers are in contract years or option years and are uncertain if they will be renewed or have their options picked up. People don’t know yet if they have a place in the organization, and it’s a delicate time period when many other teams are trying to solidify their staffs as well. Some staffers with uncertain contract statuses expressed unease and are trying to determine if they should search for a new position or wait on a decision. Nevertheless, many others—especially those with more contract stability—are continuing business as usual, as there is a lot to get done in preparation for the draft and the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. I’d very much expect things to open up internally once Dumars has settled in.
Still, changes have begun. The first wave of firings came two days after the press conference, on Thursday. Dumars would be letting go of Gar Foreman, Todd Quinter, and Chico Averbuck, as first reported by Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype. All three had strong ties to David Griffin, but were also heavily involved in the college and draft prospect scouting process. Sources indicate there wasn't much of a heads up given to this group.
Now these kind of changes are fairly standard when a new executive takes charge. The old regime is methodically replaced by trusted appointees of the new leader. In this vein, Dumars opted to bring in Troy Weaver as Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations. This was a title held by Swin Cash, who was also a part of the first wave of firings, as I first reported on Bluesky.
Weaver, formerly Senior Advisor of Basketball Operations for the Washington Wizards and General Manager of the Detroit Pistons prior that, is described to me as a talented player evaluator. Weaver played a large role in Oklahoma City drafting Russell Westbrook, and of course architected the fiery Pistons team which features a slew of productive draft picks in Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey (injured), Isaiah Stewart, Jalen Duren, and Ausar Thompson.
Though Weaver did not have a successful tenure in Detroit, it's difficult to parse how ownership driven decisions may have negatively impacted his time there. I am told there were a number of cooks in the kitchen in Detroit, and that Weaver may have had to acquiesce to certain demands. I'm looking at one Monty Williams, for example.
Naturally, Weaver and Dumars have brought along some of their own trusted people to backfill some of the operations roles. However, those who have worked closely with Weaver indicate that he loves to roll up the sleeves and do a lot of the heavy lifting himself when it comes to draft prep. This puts the Pelicans in an interesting intersection, where there is a great deal of overlap with the strengths of Troy Weaver, and those of current Pelicans General Manager, Bryson Graham.
This overlap has led rival executives to speculate on the Pelicans’ organizational hierarchy moving forward. Who will be Dumars' second in command? The established General Manager, or the hand-picked lieutenant? Sources indicate to me that all signs are pointing towards Weaver holding a higher position on the totem at the moment.
Though the organization has expressed no desire to move on from Graham, it will be interesting if he is given a contract extension or if he ends up seeking better opportunities elsewhere. An extension would signal confidence in Graham’s capabilities and offer a bridge of continuity through multiple previous Pelicans’ regimes. Graham has been with the Pelicans organization since they were called the Hornets, and has perhaps the most unique insight on franchise.
Big decisions await Joe Dumars, and he’ll need to hit the ground running. With the Combine just a week away, rival teams will be watching closely to see who accompanies Dumars and Weaver to the event. Meanwhile, Dumars must begin building relationships with those already in the organization. This off-season’s choices will define at least the next five years of Pelicans basketball—but will ownership truly give him the autonomy to make them?