2. Zion Williamson
The New Orleans Pelicans would seem to have locked Zion Williamson in for the foreseeable future. They offered him a rookie max extension this offseason despite the legitimate injury concerns that he has. Williamson’s deal is five years for $193 million but it could reach as much as $231 million if he makes an All-NBA team.
That is a lot of money to commit to a player that has appeared in only 85 games in three seasons, as he missed the entire 2021-22 campaign. However, when he is on the court, he is certainly worth max money as he is one of the most dominant players on the interior in the league.
Zion Williamson has averaged 25.7 points, seven rebounds and 3.2 assists in 31.7 minutes per game in his career. He is a difference maker when on the court, the only issue is his availability. He is also someone that could be on the move via trade.
Since he was selected No. 1 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, there have seemed to be rumors about him being traded. There have been reports that his family doesn’t want him in New Orleans as well.
Building a winning team would certainly help quell those concerns, which the Pelicans seem to be doing. Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum are a strong duo to pair with Zion Williamson and they have some excellent role players as well.
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However, this is something that isn’t new to the franchise. They had stars in Chris Paul and Anthony Davis but both were eventually traded to Los Angeles, with Paul landing with the Clippers and Davis landing with the Lakers.
It wouldn’t shock anyone if Zion Williamson followed a similar path and ended up in a bigger market down the line.