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Zion Williamson’s tumultuous tenure with the New Orleans Pelicans will be over by Thursday night’s NBA Draft, one league insider told sports media personality Bill Simmons.
The former Duke is facing allegations of an affair with an adult film star, Moriah Mills, who is threatening to release a sex tape of the pair as he and girlfriend Ahkeema await the birth of their daughter. The scandal comes after another injury-plagued season for the former first-overall pick, who has also been criticized for his conditioning and work ethic since being drafted in 2019.
Now Simmons says the Pelicans have lost their patience with Williamson and are expected to find a trade partner by Thursday night’s NBA Draft, although an official deal couldn’t be completed until the league calendar flips next month.
‘The Zion thing is a real, real subplot,’ Simmons said on his podcast. ‘I had somebody tell me yesterday that I trust that [Zion] will not be on the team on Thursday.’
The Pelicans are rumored to be interested in elite point guard prospect Scoot Henderson, who is likely to be picked second or third after Victor Wembanyama goes first overall to the San Antonio Spurs. The Charlotte Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers are owners of the second and third picks, respectively, and their interest in Williamson, if any, remains unclear.
Zion Williamson has become the talk of Twitter and the NBA world since the pregnancy and the subsequent allegations put forward by porn star Moriah Mills
Mills’ Twitter rampage included 20 messages in the space of a couple of hours on Monday
Listed at 6-foot-6 and 284 pounds – and believed to be much heavier – Williamson has appeared in only 114 games over his three-year career.
Some of the issues have been bad luck, such as a fractured thumb, but other issues with his meniscus and fractured foot may have been exacerbated by his conditioning issues.
‘I think a big part is on him,’ Pelicans vice president of basketball operations David Griffin told ESPN in April.
‘I think there is a lot he can do better. And he would, I think, tell you that. I think we need to do a better job examining the whole situation top to bottom a little bit better.’
If Williamson is going to be traded during Thursday’s draft, his future may be determined by the Hornets’ interest in Alabama forward Brandon Miller, who is slated to be taken second or third.
The Hornets already have an elite point guard in former Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball, making Henderson, another point guard, redundant.
Simmons (left) says he was told by a trusted NBA insider that Williamson (right) is on the move
The Hornets have an elite point guard in LaMelo Ball, making Henderson (pictured) redundant
Another growing factor in Williamson’s future is the growing scandal with Mills, who recently claimed she slept with the Pelicans star.
The adult performer later released alleged text messages between herself and Williamson.
Amid the drama involving Williamson, his eponymous foundation donated $250,000 to students enrolled at Jefferson Parish Schools in the outskirts of New Orleans, Louisiana as part of their Summer Bridge program, according to ESPN .
Williamson and his stepfather, Anderson Lee, visited the school to recognize the donation, and Lee gave an unexpected speech at the event.
‘I wanna say this,’ Lee said in front of a crowd at Jefferson Parish. ‘And I wanna be politically correct when I say it. That’s my son and I love him.
Believe half of what you see and nothing you hear. That’s all I want to say,’ he added. ‘I stand by my son one hundred percent. I wasn’t always where I am today.’
Williamson and his girlfriend shared a behind the scenes look at their gender reveal June 6
Mills (pictured) claims to have had a sexual relationship with Williamson
While there’ve been no public indications that the Pelicans are upset with Williamson over the situation, the 22-year-old could nonetheless find himself on the trade block in the coming weeks.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst corroborated what The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported, saying the Pelicans have had ‘cursory discussions’ about moving up for Henderson, who starred for G League Ignite last year.
‘There haven’t been any offers made necessarily yet, but it makes you really not take too far of a leap to wonder… and the league is certainly wondering if the Pelicans are going to make for the first time truly Zion Williamson available ahead of next week’s draft,’ he said on ‘Get Up.’
The NBA Draft is on Thursday night in New York.
