In 2019, the New York Knicks were coming off a season where they had the league’s worst record and were in heavy contention to land the first overall pick. Ultimately, the Knicks got the third pick in the draft, where they selected RJ Barrett, while the New Orleans Pelicans won the lottery and selected Barrett’s duke teammate, Zion Williamson, first overall.
Pelicans’ Zion Williamson wanted to play for the Knicks
The Knicks had run into awful draft luck once again and missed out on one of the most hyped-up prospects in the 21st century. However, Williamson reportedly wanted to wind up in New York even before the draft lottery.
He recently parted ways with his agency, CAA, and the inability to get him in orange and blue played a part in the breakup.
“Even before the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery sealed Williamson’s fate as the Pelicans’ No. 1 overall pick, he had long made it clear to the agency that he wanted to play in New York. After beginning his career in New Orleans, Williamson expected more from his representation in regards to pursuing a trade to New York. This was one of the two driving factors that resulted in the split, source said,” wrote ClutchPoints’ Kris Pursiainen.
Injuries have slowed down a very talented Williamson
Williamson has been as advertised with regards to his talent, as he is averaging 24.6 points and 6.6 rebounds and has made the All-Star team twice in his career thus far with the Pelicans. However, injuries have hampered him drastically, as he has only reached the 70 game benchmark once and has played more than 30 games just twice. This season, Williamson has played just six games as he deals with a hamstring issue.
Luckily for the Knicks, they have worked out nicely despite missing out on Williamson. Barrett gave them solid years before he was traded for OG Anunoby last season, and Julius Randle blossomed into an All-NBA power forward, which allowed them to land Karl-Anthony Towns in a trade this offseason.
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The Knicks are better off not trading for Williamson
Theoretically, the Knicks could still pursue Williamson one day, but that day likely won’t be anytime soon. He is currently on a five-year, $197 million contract, and New York has three max or near-max contracts that have them creeping up on the second apron.
Therefore, a trade for Williamson would mean shaking up the entire roster, and the Knicks may want to avoid doing that given the lengthy injury history and the championship potential the current team already has.
While landing Williamson back in 2019 would’ve been a pipe dream for the Knicks, they are better off moving on from the idea of bringing him to the Big Apple.
