While new executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said he had been “advised not to venture into any of his legal issues” in an interview with The Times-Picayune, he made it clear the team intends to build around its former No. 1 overall pick.

Joe Dumars, hired in April as the Pelicans' executive vice president of basketball operations, spoke on the plans for Williamson in an interview with The Times-Picayune Wednesday morning.

The New Orleans Pelicans are coming off a nightmare of a season. Following a successful summer last year, expectations were that the Pelicans would establish themselves as one of the elite teams in the Western Conference.