Zion Williamson’s family members reportedly do not want to see him on the New Orleans Pelicans and instead, want him on another team.
The player empowerment movement that really took off in the 2010s is not losing any steam, any time soon. With stars such as Kristaps Porzingis and James Harden forcing their way out of New York and Houston, respectively, and Luka Doncic inadvertently causing the firing of two Mavs exec, Zion Williamson may look to follow suit.
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The New Orleans Pelicans seem to strike out even when they have a talented roster/ a sole superstar. Back when they were the New Orleans Hornets, their 4-some of Chris Paul, Tyson Chandler, Peja Stojakovic, and David West took to defending champ Spurs to 7 games in the WCSF. They would never go further in the Playoffs with that roster.
Anthony Davis would also suffer a similar fate as he would not sniff a conference finals until he, like what Zion Williamson may do eventually, demanded a trade to a big market city and landed in LA. With the Pelicans having had a mere 6% in the 2019 NBA Draft to snag Zion, they did just that and in 2 years, seem to have botched their relationship with him.
Zion Williamson may not be a Pelican for long as his family members do not want to see him on that team.
Bringing in Stan Van Gundy to help bring some discipline in the locker room by a coach who focuses on hard-nosed defense and tolerates no slacking might have seemed like a good idea to integrate within a roster of budding, young stars. However, this completely backfired as Van Gundy completely lost the locker room, resulting in a major disconnect between him and his players.
Now, according to reports from the Athletic, multiple members of Zion Williamson’s family have come out to voice their opinion on what they want the Jordan athlete to do in his time with the Pelicans. Long story short, they don’t want him in New Orleans.
The New Orleans Pelicans have been unable to put together the right elements to make Zion Williamson and his family happy, per @TheAthleticNBA
“Multiple sources have told The Athletic that certain family members want Williamson on another team.” 😳 pic.twitter.com/6kfWYLqX4V
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) June 17, 2021
According to them, the Pelicans have failed to surround Zion Williamson with the right roster to best compliment his playstyle and could not elevate the team to a higher level of play. This is understandable when you think about the fact that Eric Bledsoe brought the ball up the court more times than Lonzo Ball last season.
To play devil’s advocate however, a 1x All-Star who’s played merely 85 games in the association demanding a trade should be a red flag of sorts for other teams interested in him. Though he has not demanded one outright, it’s looking less likely today that he would be signing his rookie max extension with the Pelicans come 2022-23.