(KATC) Hurricane Zion is reaching category five status as the rumors and story-lines around the presumed number one overall pick continues to swirl.
Wednesday ESPN and other media outlets perpetuated the notion that Zion could return to Duke to avoid playing for New Orleans. Wednesday, his stepdad Lee Anderson told 104. ESPN in Baton Rouge that the thought of returning to Duke is “nothing we have even considered.”
At the NBA combine where Zion is not working out, The Athletic’s Sham Charania reports that the Pelicans and Zion had a good meeting earlier in the week. Pelicans and Grizzlies earlier this week and had a good conversations.
Sources: Zion Williamson met in Chicago with the New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies, the top two teams in the Draft lottery. Williamson had a positive meeting with New Orleans and prior to lottery, he cited Pelicans as a targeted team to start career.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 16, 2019
Shams expanded on that idea of wanting to start in New Orleans in a tweeted video through Stadium “I’m told he told close confidants that he looked at NOLA as a potential targeted landing spot just for the opportunity to start in a place where he could be the face of a franchise,” Charania says.
https://twitter.com/Stadium/status/1129032535265161218
Zion has yet to sign an agent, but notably Hall of Fame guard Ray Allen didn’t always. The NBA rookie pay scale dictates the rookie contract, and as the top pick in the draft Zion will make 80-120 percent of $16.5 million over his first two seasons.
