Things keep changing for the New Orleans Pelicans, but their commitment to Zion Williamson appears to be unwavering. As time moves on, we can see that the Pelicans continue to grant Williamson his wish of remaining with the franchise.
There have been plenty of opportunities for New Orleans to move on from the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, but they've passed over those chances time and time again. Some may speculate that Zion has desires of playing elsewhere, but that's not what we've seen him express.
If you go back to June 2022, Williamson was asked about his future with the Pelicans while hosting a community event. "I do want to be here," he said. "That's no secret. I feel like I've stood on that when I spoke. Currently, this does not really have anything to do with that. This is just me wanting to be a pillar in my community."
It would certainly seem that these two parties remain intent on working together. As for how Pelicans fans feel about this? Well, that's a separate discussion.
Zion Williamson wants to remain in New Orleans - and so do the Pelicans
Obviously, you're going to get a large range of opinions based on who within the fanbase you speak to. But what I've gathered is that many in the Pelicans' fanbase are continually frustrated with the way Williamson has handled himself since arriving in New Orleans.
It's not a secret that Zion's conditioning and leadership have been two of the most frequently-discussed topics concerning how his career will continue to pan out. Factor in his all-too-frequent injury concerns, and I think there's a portion of the Pelicans' fanbase that's just ready to move on from him.
The problem here is that everyone is aware what kind of generational upside Williamson has if he does in fact put together a career revival. When he was at his best in the 2020-21 season (and 2022-23 to a lesser extent), he looked like one of the most dominant offensive forces in basketball.
Zion just turned 25 years old this summer. He's really just beginning to come into his true athletic prime, which is a crazy thought in and of itself. There's still the chance he could string together a couple of healthy seasons in a row and get back to All-Star level production.
But whether you're in support of the New Orleans Pelicans continuing to view Zion Williamson as their franchise player or not, it would certainly appear that he's here to stay.