Kevin O’Connor says everyone around the NBA is talking about Zion Williamson leaving the Pelicans: “It’s something everybody talks about, everybody, whether it’s from CAA, whether it’s from other agencies”
Zion Williamson has become the center of speculation as fans, the media and front offices are wondering what's going on with the former top pick in the 2019 NBA draft and the New Orleans Pelicans.
On TNT on Saturday, CJ McCollum said he had not spoken with Williamson after the Pelicans traded for him at the trade deadline. According to former NBA sharpshooter redick" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">JJ Redick, contacting a new team member is a common courtesy and to not do so is seen as poor etiquette. ESPN's Malika Andrews reported Tuesday that the two have spoken, however.
"This is basic level of humanity being a teammate. Send a text to a guy when he gets traded to your team. That is just normal behavior. That is bar minimum that you have to do,” Redick said Tuesday on ESPN's "First Take."
CJ McCollum reportedly hasn’t heard from Zion since he was traded to the Pelicans in early February.
JJ Redick calls out Zion on ESPN, saying he’s a “detached teammate.”
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The discussion then shifted from Williamson's current injury absence to his investment in the Pelicans and whether he will remain in the city beyond his rookie contract. New Orleans on Monday left Williamson off an email asking fans to renew their season tickets.
"Everything that’s transpired this past week, even the season-ticket holders, they sent the email out, they sent an email to Pelicans’ season-ticket holders for next year, and there’s no mention of Zion Williamson in the email," The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor said on a recent episode of The Mismatch Podcast.
"Little things like that, him not calling CJ McCollum, that’s so whack. I was texting some NBA execs about that over the weekend, and the response from everybody was, ‘This is not surprising. This represents the type of investment he’s made in becoming a Pelican.’ Everybody is like, 'This is not surprising.'"
Will Zion Williamson suit up for New Orleans again? @ChrisVernonShow and @KevinOConnorNBA discuss on #TheMismatch.
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What's next for Zion Williamson?
It's easy to forget that this is Williamson's third year in the NBA, mainly due to how little he has played since entering the league. Yet, Williamson is only a few months away from entering the final year of his rookie-scale deal.
Sure, the Pelicans will hold Williamson’s restricted free agent rights and be able to match any offer sheet a team extends. But the bigger question is: Would they want to?
If the answer to that question is "no," then the Pelicans have some soul-searching to do in the coming months. But if Williamson isn't committed to being a member of the Pelicans organization, then their decision should be a no-brainer.
"This is why media don’t stop talking about the possibility of him leaving, because everybody in the NBA won’t stop talking about it either," O'Connor said. "It’s something everybody talks about.
"Whether it’s from CAA (the sports agency repersenting Williams), whether it’s from other agencies, whether it’s from any team in the league, everybody talks about Zion’s lack of investment in the Pelicans and the potential of him leaving. So this is all of that bubbling up."
From a foot injury that has kept him out of action all season to not contacting the team's latest star player, Williamson is not making it easy for the team. Williamson has been away from the team since early November. He has been rehabbing his foot in Portland, Oregon.
And considering Williamson has participated in only 85 NBA games since 2019, any decision to extend him a rookie-scale extension could be put on ice.
"I don’t know what New Orleans can do in this situation," O'Connor said. "I don’t think they know everything about Zion’s current condition. There’s just been so much of a lack of communication between both parties. It’s just unfortunate."
The Pelicans are a small-market team, and Williamson, when healthy, is pure box office. So maybe now is the right time to start shopping around and seeing what sort of return they can get for a package centered around Williamson. Otherwise, the Pelicans could end up being held for ransom by their franchise cornerstone.