When the New Orleans Pelicans drafted Zion Williamson with the first pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, the franchise thought the Duke product would be a perennial All-Star and help the team compete for championships.
However, Williamson has played in just 45% of his possible games with the Pelicans. The lefty has also never played in a playoff game.
After New Orleans hired Hall of Famer Joe Dumars as its new president of basketball operations, there were rumors that the Detroit Pistons legend would look to trade Williamson this summer.
Williamson appeared in 30 games for the Pelicans this season. He averaged 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists while shooting 56.7% from the field and 65.6% from the free-throw line.
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson
Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
However, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, Williamson may remain in New Orleans.
"One of the more underrated and undercovered storylines of last Monday's lottery: The Pelicans asked Zion Williamson to be their on-stage representative," Stein wrote. "It didn't lead to anything more than New Orleans scoring the seventh overall pick, but league sources insist that it was a significant development.
"Amid no shortage of speculation about the Pelicans deciding to outright shop Williamson for the first time after six frustration-filled seasons, sources say that the lottery assignment was indeed intended to convey the message that New Orleans' new front office, now headed by Louisiana native Joe Dumars, wants to try again to make things work with Williamson as the team's centerpiece."
A two-time All-Star, Williamson has career averages of 24.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 214 games.
The Pelicans signed Williamson to a five-year, $197 million extension in 2022. Williamson will make $39.4 million next season.