The relationship between Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans does not appear to be in a good place, and one of the reported reasons for that may not surprise you.
Christian Clark of NOLA.com published a behind-the-scenes look at the issues between Williamson and the Pelicans on Thursday. The main one is that Williamson and his camp do not trust Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin.
That is hardly a surprise, as there have been reports for years about friction between Griffin and other members of the organization. According to Clark, Williamson and his camp “didn’t trust Griffin to be truthful” when Williamson injured his knee prior to his rookie season in 2019. Griffin and the Pelicans have been criticized for the way they have handled the messaging surrounding Williamson’s foot injury this season. Though, the lack of cooperation from Williamson has not helped.
Griffin has had issues with plenty of people since the Pelicans hired him in 2019. He and Williamson probably share the blame for the fractured relationship between the team and its biggest star.
But lately, it is Williamson whose reputation has taken a major hit. The former No. 1 overall pick reportedly made no effort to reach out to his new star teammate after the trade deadline. That led to him being ripped by one of his ex-teammates.
Williamson has all the talent in the world, but he hasn’t been able to stay healthy. That has caused a lot of problems for him in New Orleans, and it sounds like the team is starting to get fed up with the way Williamson and his camp have handled it.
Photo: Mar 4, 2020; Dallas, Texas, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) laughs while warming up before the game against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
