Zion Williamson’s relationship with the New Orleans Pelicans isn’t the best of all. This is not a secret, but recent reports have revealed more details about what could happen with the player and the franchise in the future.
He’s still sidelined, and it’s likely that he’ll need another surgery on his foot. Meanwhile, rumors come and go, talking about his commitment to the team and if he’ll stay long in New Orleans. It all started when CJ McCollum revealed that Zion didn’t reach out to him after his trade from the Portland Trail Blazers.
JJ Redick called him out after that, setting the alarms for the Pelicans. Now everybody has something to say about Zion’s situation in New Orleans, and one former player gave his two pennies on this situation.
Matt Barnes recently joined NBA Today to discuss this situation. He claimed that Zion probably doesn’t want to be there and the signals have been visible since he was drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in 2019.
“I don’t think Zion wants to be there. There’s been rumblings, not from him but from his family, from the jump. And it’s hard for small market teams to keep young superstars.
“… I think the writing’s been on the wall for a minute and the Pelicans have overlooked it, hoping they can change things.”
“I don’t think Zion wants to be there…There’s been rumblings, not from him but from his family, from the jump. And it’s hard for small market teams to keep young superstars.”
– Matt Barnes on Zion’s situation in New Orleans
(Via NBA Today) pic.twitter.com/8G0BasU67D
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 23, 2022
His relationship with David Griffin is bad, he hasn’t had the best communication with teammates, giving signals that he’s not too invested in the Pelicans. Barnes suggests that this would end with the young player leaving his squad. The New York Knicks have been linked with him for a while now, but nothing is certain at this moment.
There’s no clear date for Zion’s return and this will only spark more speculation about his future with the team.
