Zion Williamson was once hailed as the poster boy of the next generation of NBA, drafted as the No 10 pick in the 2019 draft by the New Orleans Pelicans.
Williamson thrilled everyone with his explosive style at Duke and that same energy was brought to the NBA, if only in spurts, as he played just 24 games in his debut season.
So exciting was he in those 24 games that it was enough to rank him third in the Rookie of the Year voting this season. The New Orleans Pelicans had their superstar.
Zion Williamson is currently on a contract with the Pelicans till the 2027/28 season but due to the injury worries since his debut, the next three years are non-guaranteed.
Even this year’s salary is guaranteed on January 7 and with Williamson on the sidelines again due to a left hamstring strain, the clock is ticking.
Williamson has played more than 60 games in a season just two out of five seasons so far and he’s set to fail to reach that mark again this season.
He has played just six games so far and his current injury has also put him on the sidelines for an extended period of time.
Due to his salary for the next three years being non-guaranteed, the Pelicans can release him at the end of the season with zero financial obligation.
If they don’t want to take that nuclear option, they can trade Williamson as per ESPN, that will only net them some expiring contracts plus a future first-round pick.
That is a remarkable turn of events for Williamson, who was once marked as the face of not just the Pelicans but of the NBA as a whole.
For some perspective, Ja Morant, Darius Garland, and Tyler Herro are some of the names drafted over him which made perfect sense at the time, so highly rated was he.
From that to potentially being released at zero cost, or being traded for some expiring contracts and a pick is an insane turnaround, and even though it’s unlikely that the Pelicans give up on Zion, he could be the center of a seismic move in the summer if the team gets frustrated by his unavailability.
Third in Rookie of the Year after playing 24 games, an All-Star appearance despite playing just 29 games in the 2022/23 season speaks of a player who is borderline unplayable on his best day.
The Pelicans recognized it quickly and after drafting him with their first pick, have worked with him every step of the way to maximize the return on their investment.
From negotiating an intriguing contract with literal weight clauses to hiring a medical team for him or making him the face of the franchise, or giving him a new deal despite injury concerns, they have been nothing but supportive.
He took a step forward last season too, playing 70 games but repeated injuries seem to have sapped him of his explosiveness and force.
Williamson became more of a facilitator instead of a scorer, upping his assists per game to five, a figure that has gone up every season for him.
On the other hand, his field-goal percentage has gone down and in the limited sample size of just six games so far this season, it’s the lowest at just 45.2%.
His game has taken a step back and his health is not cooperating with him anymore. There have been concerns over his lifestyle and his inability to remain professional in his habits off the court as well, which hasn’t helped his stock.
It’s an unfortunate fall from grace for a player whose career always had a high-risk-high-reward trajectory due to his playing style.
His own personal choices seem to have put that tangent towards the “high-risk” part of that narrative in the recent season.
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