After New Orleans Pelicans Vice President David Griffin's statements a few days ago, Zion Williamson's foreseeable future looks all but set in New Orleans after his comments on Saturday.
Despite speculation about Zion Williamson's future earlier this year, the NBA 2019 number one pick is all set to stay with the Pelicans, he admitted in his recent interview with ESPN. Williamson missed the entire NBA 2021-22 season due to a broken foot. However, the Pelicans franchise still sees Zion as a Franchise cornerstone. In his recent interview, Williamson talked about the rumours regarding his future and the team's rise without him this season. The Pelicans started the season with a 1-12 record. However, a Brandon Ingram career year and a CJ Mccollum mid-season trade got the team into the Playoffs for the first time in four seasons.
Zion said in the interview, " I want to be here. That's no secret. I feel like I've stood on that when I spoke. It was a long year for me for rehab and mental battles. I'm fine now. I'm ready to get to work. It sucked watching from the sideline, but I got to see our potential."
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"We've got a lot of great pieces, and I'm excited to get on the court with those guys. You saw it on the court. We have a special group. I truly believe that. I'm one of those people that believes the more your team wins, the more individual awards will come. So, with a special group, a coach like Willie [Green], I think many great things will happen," added Williamson.
On Friday, Pelicans Vice President David Griffin confirmed that a maximum contract extension would be given to Zion after he said the following on the Ryen Russilo Podcast: "It's not a big decision. It's a pretty easy decision. The kid's historically good when he plays. He is a max player. That's easy. What becomes significant as a small-market team that can't make mistakes in terms of injuries over time, you have to repay yourself somehow for that, and that's fine."
