The 2019 NBA draft brought the most hyped prospect in the NBA for a while. The New Orleans Pelicans selected Zion Williamson with the first overall pick of the night, doing what everybody in their position would have done.
Even though Zion has been inactive since the end of last season, plenty of people still think he will be a superstar in the league. The Pelicans have an exciting group of young players and the cherry on the top is Zion. They have Brandon Ingram as their second-best player, but there was a chance that they could have a Big 3 now with another young star.
Three years ago, the Pels had big plans, as they not only could have the first but the second overall pick of the draft. Christian Clark of NOLA.com reveals that New Orleans tried to trade for the No. 2 pick during that night, but the Memphis Grizzlies didn’t accept their offer.
“The Pelicans were intrigued by the possibility of pairing AAU teammates Williamson and Morant together in 2019, sources said,” wrote Clark. “They had the Nos. 1 and 4 picks entering that draft. They offered the Grizzlies multiple packages that included the No. 4 pick. All of their offers were rebuffed.
“If the Grizzlies had accepted any of the Pelicans’ packages for the No. 2 pick, Williamson and Morant would be teammates. Instead, the Grizzlies wisely held onto it.”
This would have been an incredible thing to watch. Zion became an All-Star last year, and Morant did the same this one, demonstrating they are the present and the future of the association. If the Pelicans managed to get that No. 2 pick, we would be talking about a potential all-time great duo, but Memphis knew better and rejected the offer.
Ja is part of the MVP conversation, although many people believe he will win the MIP award this season. Zion is yet to return to the court, but once he does, the Pelicans will get even better. We don’t know how these guys would have fared together, but we can imagine how great this duo would have been.
