NBA news: Zion Williamson has been the talk of the town of late. Unfortunately for the New Orleans Pelicans, it hasn’t been for the best reasons. As a matter of fact, throughout his NBA career, the former No. 1 overall pick has been involved in more negative storylines than the Pels would have hoped for.
Injuries have played a major part in all this. This is no surprise considering how the 23-year-old has played just 29 games in the past two seasons. However, Zion has been involved in some nasty headlines of late after an ex-girlfriend supposedly exposed his true colors behind closed doors.
NBA News: Pelicans Have ‘Never Had’ Trade Conversations About Zion Williamson
Shocking as it may seem, the Pelicans supposedly explored the prospect of trading away their cornerstone superstar prior to the 2023 NBA Draft. For most, this was a clear indication that New Orleans had already grown tired of Williamson’s troublesome start to his career.
According to Pels vice president of basketball operations David Griffin, however, these rumors are completely false. The high-ranking executive shut down all the trade buzz by unequivocally denying any and all claims about the Pelicans supposedly exploring a potential Zion Williamson trade:
“We never had a single [trade] conversation that Zion was part of,” Griffin said (h/t Alek Arend of Athlton Sports).
Griffin went on to say that Williamson’s relationship with the organization is “as good as it’s ever been.” The 50-year-old executive even took a veiled shot at the media for fabricating all sorts of negative storylines surrounding their superstar:
“I think what’s unfortunate is that he’s a name that generates clicks no matter what the link says,” Griffin stated.
“Zion puts on his socks. People click on that. So it makes it really easy for people to manufacture rumor around him — because they don’t have to have any actual credibility behind what they say to generate clicks.
“As a society, this isn’t [just] true of sports, this is true across all platforms — reality doesn’t matter anymore. Generating clicks matters. So unfortunately for Zion, he’s just an oddity and somebody that people pay a great deal of attention to and manufacture a lot of stories around.”
What’s the relationship like between Zion and the Pelicans?
David Griffin says it’s “as good as it’s ever been” as he sits down with @DarthAmin & @TermineRadio at NBA Summer League. pic.twitter.com/mNYJIXwMxI
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) July 12, 2023
Based on what David Griffin is saying here, it appears that Zion Williamson isn’t going anywhere.
NBA News: Pelicans Should Use Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Career As Template For Zion Williamson
The Pelicans should learn a thing or two about how the relationship between Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks has evolved through the years. Right now, the former back-to-back MVP is considered one of the most dominant players in the NBA — a path that Williamson seems fully capable of approaching in the future.
Unlike Zion, however, Giannis was far from a bona fide superstar when he started his career off in Milwaukee. However, the Bucks knew that they had unearthed a real gem in the Greek Freak, and their faith never faltered. They are now reaping the benefits of their loyalty to Antetokounmpo, and for his part, Giannis has remained faithful to them as well.
It is true that Williamson’s case is far different from that of Giannis, but at this point, the Pelicans have an opportunity to exhibit their unwavering belief in their cornerstone superstar. It has been an undeniably tough road, but the ultimate reward could be exponential.
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