Heading into the NBA offseason, the New Orleans Pelicans were expected to be one of the more aggressive teams, with the team rumored to be looking at trading up in the 2023 NBA Draft with their sights set on bringing in guard Scoot Henderson.
Clearly, that didn’t happen, with the team likely unable to put a trade package together that didn’t include one of their star players in Zion Williamson or Brandon Ingram.
Outside of signing Herb Jones, arguably the team’s best defensive player, to a new deal, the Pelicans haven’t done much this summer, and a lot of doubt surrounds Williamson and his future.
With Williamson now dealing with some off-the-court issues along with his weight and injury problems, the future isn’t looking all that bright for the former No. 1 overall pick, with Jason Timpf of Volume Sports being the latest to jump off the bandwagon.
“I’m completely off the Zion bandwagon”
—@_JasonLT goes in on the Pelicans “disappointing” star pic.twitter.com/uGixSi7z79
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) July 2, 2023
The Pelicans may have missed an opportunity to trade Williamson before things started to get ugly and concerning about the superstar forward out of Duke.
However, the team may have actually tried to move him this summer and weren’t able to due to concerns about his long-term future and all the stuff being floated around on social media.
Despite what may ultimately be a bleak future for Williamson, if the Pelicans can get him in shape and motivated heading into next season, New Orleans may still have something special with him and Ingram leading the way in the Big Easy.
It may be a stretch to expect him to get back on the floor healthy and in shape, but if it happens, few players can contend with him on the floor.
NEXT:
Herb Jones Cashed In After Betting On Himself