When the New Orleans Pelicans drafted Zion Williamson out of Duke with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, he was expected to change everything about the franchise.
Williamson was supposed to be the player that put the Pelicans on the map. That has not been the case to this point in his career.
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Between injury issues that have kept him off the court, weight related issues, and some character concerns, Williamson has not come close to living up to the hype. In five years, Williamson has played in just 214 games. His play when he has been on the court has been solid, but his lack of availability has caused tensions to run high in New Orleans.
That being said, a new report has come out that casts doubt about Williamson’s future with the Pelicans.
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1).© Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
According to a report from Shamit Dua of WDSU, as shared by NBA Central on X, team ownership is expected to instruct Joe Dumars to trade Williamson during the upcoming offseason.
This new report has brought an immediate reaction from NBA fans.
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“Good. He needs to go somewhere and be an Aaron Gordon type player,” one fan wrote.
“Who gonna want this man that’s sat more games than played in the NBA? I can’t imagine any good team giving up any solid players to bring in a player that does more cheerleading on the sidelines then playing game, carry on,” a second fan chimed in.
A third fan commented, “Who wants a player that only plays 1/3 of the season for almost his whole career.”
During the 2024-25 NBA season with New Orleans, Williamson appeared to be in much better shape than in years past. He still played in just 30 games, averaging 24.6 points per game to go along with 7.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.2 steals, and shooting 56.7% from the floor.
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