Did Pelicans drop ominous hint about Zion Williamson’s future with them?

The New Orleans Pelicans sent a notable message this week that many did not see as a coincidence.

The team issued an email to their season ticket holders to promote renewal packages for the 2022-23 NBA season. In the email, the team name-dropped Brandon Ingram, Jonas Valanciunas, and the newly-acquired CJ McCollum. But there was notably no mention of injured star forward Zion Williamson.

Take a look at the email, per Fletcher Mackel of WDSU-TV in New Orleans.

Interesting 🤨

The #WBD #Pelicans just sent email to season ticket holders about renewals for 2022-23 season and…
NO MENTION OF ZION 😳 pic.twitter.com/Qqu9kibRWk

— Fletcher Mackel (@FletcherWDSU) February 21, 2022

That led some speculation that the Pelicans were hinting at uncertainty over Williamson’s future with them. The former top pick remains sidelined with a foot issue, and there has even been a bit of chatter that Williamson might want out of New Orleans.

The counterargument though is that the Pelicans have marketed Williamson heavily since he was drafted in 2019, only for Williamson to appear in just 85 total games so far (and zero this season). Williamson is also the king of negative headlines right now, so the Pelicans may have decided that there were better candidates to use to advertise their games.

Photo: Sep 27, 2021; New Orleans, LA, USA; Zion Williamson during a press conference at the New Orleans Pelicans Media Day. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports