On Saturday, it was revealed that New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson was leaving his agency, Creative Artists Agency. Less than 24 hours later, Williamson’s teammate Brandon Ingram announced he was leaving his agency, Excel Sports, per Will Guillory and Kelly Iko of The Athletic.
The reason for Williamson’s departure was revealed to be his desire to play in New York and the details of his contract extension signed with the Pelicans in January 2022. Over time, Williamson has come to understand the many contract stipulations that created the rift between him and CAA, per ClutchPoints’ Kris Pursiainen.
“Since the deal was initially signed, Williamson has gained a greater understanding of how his contract was structured and the various clauses involving his weight that make said deal not fully guaranteed moving forward. Both the agency’s perceived inability to land the forward in New York City, as well as Williamson’s understanding of his contract situation, pushed the relationship to the point where the parties felt a divorce was the best resolution.”
New Orleans is 4-13 and tied for the worst record in the Western Conference.
The Pelicans are imploding, will Ingram & Williamson bolt?
From the outside looking in, New Orleans looks like it’s about to blow it all up. Dejounte Murray has only played one game to start the season. Williamson has played six, CJ McCollum has played four, and Trey Murphy III has made just five appearances.
Brett Siegel put a positive spin on their performance in his most recent edition of ClutchPoints’ NBA Power Rankings, as the Pelicans were slotted at No. 25.
“The Pelicans are a team decimated by injuries, resulting in them being as low as they are in the NBA power rankings. Still, Willie Green’s squad has put up a lot of really strong fights in recent weeks. After all, when key players go down, this leads to opportunities for others. … Green and this organization must be pleased with the fight they have seen from this team.”
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Certainly, this is a glass-half-full outlook, but perhaps there’s more to this team than meets the eye. Williamson recently spoke up about the Pelicans’ improving health and his teammates returning to the court.
“It’s very unfortunate,” Williamson allowed. “But as a team, we are keeping our spirits up and it’s a long season. Guys are starting to return so that’s going to be great. Hopefully, by January we will be in full stride.
“That’s just goes along with keeping our spirits up. It’s keeping our spirits up, coming in the gym every day in good spirits and just bonding as a team…We know the position we are in right now. It’s not a good one at the moment. But like I said, we come to the gym every day in good spirits and we are going to figure it out.”
New Orleans returns to the court on Monday, November 25 at 7:00 p.m. EST on the road against the Indiana Pacers.
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