The Milwaukee Bucks winning the NBA Championship brings a lot of hope for small-market teams.
Those franchises often struggle to be competitive because their stars outgrow the team and force their way out to play for a contender right away. They’re not appealing free-agency destinations either, which only perpetuates the cycle.
That’s why the New Orleans Pelicans want to prevent that same-old thing from happening to them again. They already know what it’s like to lose a generational talent (Chris Paul and Anthony Davis) and don’t want Zion Williamson to be the next on that list.
According to Zach Lowe, the Pelicans are getting angsty and fear that they’ll lose Zion, and that’s why they’re rushing things to try and offload their 10th overall pick in a salary-dump deal.
Lowe says they’re desperate to get rid of Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams and that making that kind of move could be a mistake in the long run:
“This is almost reminding me of Anthony Davis 2.0. They realized they had a transcendent talent, and just rushed to get veterans around him, and the team just wasn’t good enough,” Lowe said on The Woj & Lowe podcast.
There’s no doubt that Zion Williamson is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of player who could turn any franchise around. Barring injury, he looks poised to dominate in the league for years to come.
The Pelicans need to do everything they can to surround him with players who fit his game. They need to show him that they’re for real and that he won’t miss the playoffs more often than not.
Needless to say, that will be easier said than done, especially in the wild Western Conference and considering the roster they have right now. Hopefully, Zion won’t force his way out of the team and will look to put an end to their curse.
