The NBA offseason has been rampant. Be it a vast number of trades or free-agent signings, teams have been swift in making moves in the offseason. The Pelicans are no exception to this. While they haven’t made a massive free-agent signing or a trade, they might have made one of the most pivotal decisions in their franchise’s history, signing their superstar Zion Williamson to a rookie max extension.
While Zion missed last season due to injury and rumors of him wanting a trade out of New Orleans were rampant, the Pelicans have convinced the former Duke superstar of their ongoing project and signed him to a rookie max extension of five years worth a whopping $193 million, which could potentially balloon up to $231 million if he makes the All-NBA team.
It seems like the 6’6″ forward is also ready to flourish with the team. In a recent press conference where the organization announced Zion’s extension, the 22-year-old revealed his goals for the near future.
“I want to prove that I’m a winner, it’s as simple as that. I want to win with the coach, as well as with my teammates. The ultimate goal is to win the championship. I feel like that’s what we’re all striving for. We’re hungry. Y’all saw this past year what the team did and I’m just excited to add to that.”
The Pelicans, despite missing Zion, were one of the surprise packages last season. While they did miss their star player in Williamson, they still managed to finish in the 9th position in the Western Conference. Not only that, they managed to push the No.1 seed in the Western Conference Phoenix Suns all the way to six games.
With the likes of CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram alongside Zion, the Pelicans have a great core of players to make a push for the championship in the next few seasons.
If Zion can finally fulfill the promise he showed in his second season with the team, there is no doubt that New Orleans will be capable enough to beat the best teams in the league. What do you think is the ceiling of this team?
