3 best landing spots for Zion Williamson if he leaves the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2021 NBA offseason
Zion Williamson has consistently been in the news of late. The New Orleans Pelicans presently find themselves in administrative shambles. Coach Stan Van Gundy has exited the franchise after the players revealed they were unhappy under him.
Additionally, Williamson and his family are unhappy because the organization failed to surround the 20-year-old with the pieces necessary to compete in the playoffs.
Zion Williamson earned a salary of $10,245,480 this season. He also has team options on his contract for the next two seasons worth $10,733,400 and $13,534,817 respectively. Although it is a team option, he could pressurize the organization to not pick it up. Even the Pelicans wouldn't want to forcefully keep a player if they didn't want to play for their team.
Where could Zion Williamson go if he leaves New Orleans?
An absolute beast of a player, Zion Williamson was arguably one of the most hyped draft prospects entering the NBA since LeBron James. Many have called him a "freak of nature" and Kevin Durant described him as a "once-in-a-generation type athlete."
Williamson averaged 27 points per game this season on a ridiculous 61 FG%. He led the league in points in the paint and in FG% for any player averaging over 20 points.
Whichever team ends up with Williamson will be signing a superstar. With his family unhappy and wanting him on another team, we take a look at three teams that could be potential destinations for Zion Williamson in the 2021 NBA offseason.
#1 New York Knicks
The New York Knicks are one of just three teams with positive cap space. Should they attempt to sign Zion Williamson, he could be guaranteed a big deal there. Williamson has publicly admitted that he loves to play at Madison Square Garden and that it's his second-best arena to play at, after New Orleans.
Although Julius Randle plays in the listed power forward position, he can certainly move to the small forward position if the Knicks sign Williamson.
Similar to LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the LA Lakers, Williamson and Randle could easily switch positions between either front court spots. In an era of fluid basketball with reduced emphasis on rigid positioning, Williamson could be a perfect addition to this Knicks team.
They made the 4th seed and the NBA playoffs this season. However, the Knicks lacked a scorer who could get them 25 points a night. It is also worth noting that Williamson was unhappy with the coach in New Orleans while the Knicks have the 2021 Coach of the Year in Tom Thibodeau.