After a week full of rumors swirling around Zion Williamson and a potential trade for G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson, the New Orleans Pelicans made a move. However, this move had nothing to do with the depth chart and everything to do with their coaching staff.
After retaining the services of lead assistant Jarron Collins and adding former head coach James Borrego, the Pelicans have let go of assistant coach Teresa Weatherspoon.
Sources: Pelicans are parting ways with assistant coach, Basketball Hall of Famer Teresa Weatherspoon. Weatherspoon has been on staff since 2020, developing a strong rapport with players like Zion Williamson, and turned down other opportunities in hopes of rising in New Orleans.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 15, 2023
As the tweet above suggests, Weatherspoon had spent the last four seasons with the team and had even declined other opportunities to stay with the organization. Before that, Weatherspoon spent eight seasons in the WNBA, earning an All-Star nod in five of them.
As for her coaching career, along with her time in New Orleans, Weatherspoon also spent time with the Westchester Phantoms (of the American Basketball Association) and with the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (the place she played her college basketball at).
Weatherspoon put together such a splendid basketball career that she was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
As the tweet above also says, Weatherspoon was a close confidant of Williamson. Could this signal that the team is ready to move on from their superstar? You have to think that they wouldn’t just trade away an assistant he was super tight with if they were planning on having him around for the next half-decade (his extension has him under contract through the 2027-28 season).
With as outstanding of a basketball resume as Weatherspoon has, she will surely land on her feet and end up on the bench of a different NBA team. However, it will be interesting to monitor which teams pursue her and what this whole situation ultimately means for Williamson’s future with New Orleans.