Zion Williamson not getting fully-guaranteed extension could benefit Knicks
It’s more of a pipe dream at this point, but some New York Knicks fans are still holding alive to the hope that one day Zion Williamson will call Madison Square Garden his home.
Williamson is eligible to sign a maximum rookie extension with the New Orleans Pelicans this summer and when asked if he would sign an extension, the 21-year-old said that he’d sign one. In fact, he said that he couldn’t sign one fast enough.
If Williamson signs one, that means that he won’t be teaming up with RJ Barrett in New York anytime soon, or at least for the 2022-23 season. Knicks fans know all too well what can happen to players the year after they sign an extension.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Pelicans reportedly won’t offer Williamson a fully-guaranteed max contract. That isn’t a surprise, given his injury history, but it could perhaps cause Williamson to rethink his decision to sign it.
Is Zion Williamson reportedly not being offered a max contract a good thing for the New York Knicks?
Let’s be realistic. Williamson has been around basketball his entire life and has been in the NBA since he was the No. 1 overall pick in 2019.
While he would likely receive the projected five-year, $181 million fully-guaranteed extension if he had played in more than 85 games throughout three seasons, Williamson should be well-aware that option is out the window.
Unless he and New Orleans hold separate beliefs, Williamson should sign an extension with the Pelicans, as he said. Based on the team’s recent performance in the first round of the playoffs against the Suns, Williamson should want to stay to build and grow in New Orleans.
Sure, if he were to request a trade to New York, which doesn’t seem likely, it’d be an amazing experience for fans to see him play alongside Barrett, but that’s more of a dream, not reality.
And if he did play for the Knicks, that wouldn’t mean that he’d be able to stay injury-free. Of course, that’s the goal regardless who he plays for, but his history is a concern.
The situation between Williamson and the Pelicans could escalate this summer, but for now, it seems as if Louisiana is where he wants to be.
Perhaps down the road, he could have a desire to leave to play for the Knicks, but there’s something special brewing in New Orleans. And if Williamson can stay healthy for the majority of the 2022-23 season, the Pelicans are going to be a force to be reckoned with.
