New York knicks to receive Zion Williamson who has shown strong passion to move to the East Coast.
Zion Williamson, the New Orleans Pelicans star, reportedly has a stronger desire to move to the East Coast than many realized. Recently, Williamson parted ways with CAA, the agency that had represented him since before he was drafted in 2019. According to a report by ClutchPoints’ Kris Pursiainen, Williamson’s decision to leave CAA stemmed from two main issues.
Firstly, Williamson has long expressed a preference for playing with the New York Knicks, reportedly sharing this ambition with CAA even before the Pelicans won the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery. He was reportedly disappointed with the agency for not doing more to facilitate a trade to New York. However, the Knicks recently used much of their trade capital to acquire Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, making a future deal for Williamson unlikely in the near term.
Secondly, Williamson was reportedly frustrated with the terms of his five-year, $197 million contract extension signed in January 2022. The deal includes stipulations tied to his health, including weight management and games played. Although Williamson had his healthiest season last year, appearing in a career-high 70 games with averages of 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists, he suffered a hamstring injury during the Play-In Tournament and missed the Pelicans’ first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Despite offseason photos showing Williamson in improved shape, injuries have persisted early in the 2024-25 season. So far, he has played only six games in the second year of his lucrative extension.
Leave a Reply