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Zion Williamson probably took part in Tuesday's NBA draft lottery hoping he would find himself somewhere like New York, Phoenix, Chicago or maybe even Atlanta. These were big market teams with double-digit odds of landing the first choice.
But, of course, it did not work Tuesday night.
The 6% chance of landing Williamson on the pelicans proved sufficient tonight. And just like that: Williamson's hopes of becoming a box office hit in New York have been dashed.
Instead of heading to the Big Apple, the former star of Duke will probably turn to the Big Easy. He will call home Smoothie King Center and not Madison Square Garden.
But … what if Zion Williamson just did not want to play for the Pelicans? He does not have to do it.
Of course, the notion is wacky at this point, and Williamson has said all the good things leading to the lottery. He would not name a favorite destination. He said that he would be happy with any team that recruited him.
However, you must think that he made these remarks thinking, at worst, to the Atlanta Hawks – not to New Orleans. He is expected to enter the league as the most tradable player since LeBron James, and getting to the second-smallest market in the NBA does not serve his interests.
It's there that Zion could take advantage of a New Orleans move. This would cause chaos in the league and result in very angry calls at the Pelican counter, but that is the life of Zion. If New Orleans is not where it wants to go, there are ways to make a change.
Let's break down the options.
Back to Duke
It's hilarious to think that when Williamson had a sprained knee following the explosion of a Nike sneaker, Williamson was called on to leave Duke and prepare for the NBA. And now we begin to hear a complete reversal of this feeling. Brian Windhorst of ESPN raised this possibility at Wednesday's conference. The jump.
Under the new NCAA rules, players are allowed to hire agents for the draft NBA process while returning to school. And Williamson did not even go that far. He remains without an agent and his eligibility is intact.
Williamson would have until June 10 to remove his name from the draft. This would be the most shocking scenario. Although playing in New Orleans could hurt Zion from a marketing standpoint, an extra year of unpaid basketball (though Duke's) would prove too risky and improbable.
Williamson could use Duke – an experience he saw as the best year of his life – as a lever to force New Orleans to swap his choices. It would be difficult to see Duke used other than as an accessory or bluff.
The option is on the table, though. Coach K would not say no.
Shoot an Eli Manning
You may remember that during the NFL draft in 2004, Eli Manning had indicated that he would not play with the San Diego Chargers. He asked the shippers to exchange it or give it to him. The shippers opted for the draft Manning, which led to an uncomfortable picture of the draft day, but eventually traded to the giants.
Williamson could communicate a message similar to that of brass pelicans and enter into an agreement with a larger market. Pelicans would not have much reason to respond to such a request after the deadline of June 10, but they could certainly try to choose the best choice to strengthen their franchise.
Withdraw from the project
If Williamson does not want to play in New Orleans but does not want to spend another year of unpaid basketball, he does not have to.
He may retire from the draft NBA before the June 10 deadline and dedicate himself next year to coaching, playing for the US team basketball or even to explore options abroad.
Then, when the NBA Draft 2020 Lottery arrives, it will have another chance to reach the desired franchise. However, there is no guarantee that a more desirable city will land next year's choice # 1. It could be New Orleans again, which would be hilarious.
As interesting as the idea is, it is not worth sacrificing a career year in the NBA for something so unknown. At the very least, this possibility could be used to take advantage of a transaction, but it will disappear once the June 10 deadline is passed.
Unless something absolute happens, Zion Williamson will be in New Orleans next season. Sorry, Knicks fans.
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