NBA News Roundup, Wednesday, July 31st: Zion Williamson intends to spend entire career with the Pelicans, update on Jeremy Lin and more
The 2019 offseason is now well underway, and NBA fans have already been treated to plenty of blockbuster moves.
Superstars such as Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis have been traded to title-contending teams, whereas the likes of Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and Al Horford all opted to seek a new challenge in free agency.
Due to this, the 2019-20 campaign is quickly gearing up to be among the most exciting seasons in recent memory, and additional offseason moves are likely in the coming weeks. So, with plenty going on around the NBA, here is all the latest news and rumors you need to know for July 31st.
#3 Zion Willamson wants to spend his entire NBA career with the New Orleans Pelicans
After attracting nationwide attention during his season with Duke, Zion Williamson was taken by the New Orleans Pelicans with the first pick of the 2019 draft. The 19-year-old is rated by many as the best teenager to enter the league since LeBron James back in 2003, and Williamson is expected to quickly establish himself as one the top talents in the NBA.
Upon being drafted by the Pelicans, some speculated that Williamson was already planning a future move to a bigger market, although the Duke product told Macklin Stern of Complex that he hopes to stay with the Pelicans for his entire career:
Personally, I’ve always told myself I want to stay with one team. My intentions are to stay with the Pelicans my whole career, but if something happens, I wouldn’t leave because I hate the place. It’s just the business
After losing Anthony Davis, Williamson's arrival served as a huge boost to the NBA’s smallest market team. The teenager will form part of an exciting young core alongside Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and Brandon Ingram.