After a disappointing, injury-riddled season, the New Orleans Pelicans are embarking on a rebuild — albeit not a total overhaul. At least not yet.
The franchise announced Monday, the day after the conclusion of the 2024-25 campaign, that it was firing David Griffin from his role as executive vice president of basketball operations.
“This was a difficult decision, but one that I feel is necessary at this time to bring a fresh approach to our front office and build a culture that will deliver sustainable success, on and off the court,” Pelicans owner Gayle Benson said Monday in a statement. “I am committed to hiring the right person to lead our basketball operations department and deliver an NBA championship to our city. That is what our fans deserve.”
The announcement did not mention or allude to the status of current head coach Willie Green’s job. The Pelicans finished the season with a 21-61 record, second-worst in the Western Conference and fourth-worst in the NBA. It was unclear if the new VP of basketball operations would have the authority to fire Green and bring in their replacement, or if the new hire would be tied to Green.
“There’s always pressure in these positions, no matter who you are,” Green said Sunday in a news conference. “You look around the league, there’s coaches that have won championships and they’re not there anymore, so that’s always going to be there.
“That’s why we get into this. We get into this for the pressure of it, for the competitiveness of it. We know that these jobs are volatile. I haven’t had any discussions, any talks yet, of what that looks like for me. I don’t know if ‘worry’ is the right word to use, but you always want to go out and do your best because you can be replaced.”
The Pelicans had battled injury issues throughout Griffin’s tenure. At the forefront has been Zion Williamson, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2019 NBA draft. Across his six seasons in New Orleans, Williamson has played in just 214 of a possible 472 games, including just 30 this season.
Griffin took over the Pelicans in April 2019 after he became available when contract negotiations in Cleveland broke down. Griffin had been the architect of the 2015-16 Cavaliers team that won an NBA Finals behind LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
One of Griffin’s first moves with the Pelicans was to trade disgruntled center Anthony Davis to the Lakers for Brandon Ingram and other players. Davis continued to star in Los Angeles, while Ingram was a solid, if unspectacular player for New Orleans, one Griffin dealt to the Raptors in February ahead of the 2025 trading deadline for a modest return. Dejounte Murray, the prized trade target New Orleans acquired in June 2024, broke his hand in the season opener and missed a month; then, on January 31, Murray tore his Achilles tendon.
The Pelicans went 209-263 in Griffin’s six seasons with the team, including a pair of postseason appearances.