Zion Williamson Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Pelicans Trade Rumors, McCollum, Hawkins, Morant, Smart

December 19th, 2024 at 9:40am CST by Dana Gauruder

Reacting to a report that the Pelicans have made most of their roster available in the trade market, head coach Willie Green said he’d address the rumors with the team at the appropriate time.

“Eventually, we’ll have some discussions on what’s true and what’s not true,” Green told Rod Walker of the New Orleans Times Picayune. “But for the most part, we try to block out any noise, any distractions. We’ve got a lot to focus on without that. Our focus is on coming in every day with the right perspective, getting after it at practice, locking in to our film work and getting prepared for our games. Some of the rumors and some of the things we are hearing are out of our control. We’ll do the best that we can to continue communicating with our group.”

Veteran guard CJ McCollum, one of the players who could be on the move, understands why there is so much trade buzz around the team.

“Obviously we aren’t doing well,” McCollum said. “So teams are going to be circling like sharks to try to figure out who they can poach. Our team may be entertaining trades, may not be entertaining trades. Who knows?”

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Jordan Hawkins (lumbar spine annular fissure) could return to action tonight for the Pelicans against Houston. He was upgraded to questionable on Wednesday’s official injury report, according to a team press release. The second-year guard has missed the last eight games. Jose Alvarado (left hamstring strain), Brandon Ingram (left ankle sprain), Karlo Matkovic (low back disc protrusion), Daniel Theis (personal reasons) and Zion Williamson (left hamstring strain) remain out.
The Grizzlies could be without two prominent guards against Golden State tonight. Ja Morant is listed as questionable with left shoulder soreness, while Marcus Smart is doubtful due to lower back soreness, the team’s PR department tweets.
Smart has been coming off the bench, but he’s been getting crunch time minutes. That has helped the Grizzlies guard accept his new role, he told Mark Medina of Sportskeeda. “At the end of the day, you want to be on the court,” he said. “You want to be on the court in the moment of the game that matters the most. That’s the goal. As long as I’m in those moments, I’m not really complaining. I think my resume speaks for itself that it shouldn’t even be a question on whether I’m going to be in those moments or not. But like I said, I can just control what I can control.”

Southwest Notes: Ingram, Pelicans, Udoka, Wells, Smart

December 11th, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pelicans were upset about the play that caused Brandon Ingram‘s ankle injury, according to Rod Walker of NOLA.com, who says the team sent video of the play to the league office to review. They hadn’t heard back as of Tuesday, per head coach Willie Green.

The injury occurred after Ingram attempted to rise up for a shot over Luguentz Dort (Twitter video link). Ingram’s elbow appeared to make contact with the Thunder defender, causing him to fall backwards to the floor. When Ingram landed, he came down on Dort’s foot, twisting his ankle. An offensive foul was called, with the Pelicans arguing that Dort didn’t give Ingram enough room to make a normal shot attempt or to land after his jump. However, their challenge was denied.

“If you go back and watch that play, he (Dort) got up under B.I,” Green said on Tuesday. “They called an offensive foul and we didn’t agree with that.”

It’s unclear what the Pelicans hope to accomplish by getting the league office involved, but regardless of whether anything comes of it, Ingram will still be sidelined indefinitely. It’s the latest health issue for a player who has missed between 18 and 37 regular season games in his previous three seasons.

“Mentally, having the injury has been tough for him,” Green said. “I’ve had a chance to talk with him. It’s going to be something that he has to continue to try to take some positives out of it, take it day-by-day and attack each day. The good news is it’s not career ending. It’s not career threatening. It’s not season threatening. It’s just a matter of how soon can he get back to himself.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

Will the Pelicans trade Brandon Ingram? Trade Zion Williamson? Trade both? Keep both and run it back next season? William Guillory of The Athletic considers the paths available to New Orleans and weighs the likelihood of each outcome. In Guillory’s view, an Ingram trade seems likely to happen by February 6, but the franchise still seems committed to making things work with Williamson.
Tim MacMahon of ESPN outlines how Ime Udoka‘s ornery, hard-nosed personality has bled into the Rockets‘ culture since his arrival in Houston in 2023 and how the head coach’s high standards for his players have helped fuel the team’s turnaround after several seasons in the lottery. According to Udoka, veteran point guard Fred VanVleet sometimes “goes against his natural inclination” and plays “good cop” to Udoka’s bad cap since the Rockets coach can be so harsh on his young players.
Grizzlies rookie Jaylen Wells, who is making a case for Rookie of the Year consideration this fall, spoke to Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda about his strong start, his “learning moments,” and the impact Marcus Smart has had on his development as a veteran leader. “Marcus has been huge for me,” Wells told Afseth. “He talks to me during walkthroughs, in the locker room, and on the court. He’s always giving me tips, whether it’s about tendencies or how to play tough without fouling. Watching how he sets the tone defensively has taught me a lot.”

Western Notes: Flagler, Durant, Leonard, Ingram

December 9th, 2024 at 9:02pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Thunder two-way player Adam Flagler will miss four-to-six weeks due to a right fourth metacarpal fracture, Joel Lorenzi of The Oklahoman tweets.

The 25-year-old guard out of Baylor has appeared in 11 games with the Thunder this season. He’s averaged 1.4 points and 0.5 rebounds in 3.4 minutes per contest, having played almost exclusively in garbage time.

Flagler is a holdover from last season, as he originally signed his two-way deal in February. He was a critical contributor for the Oklahoma City Blue’s championship squad in 2023/24. In three G League contests this season, he has averaged 25.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 5.7 APG and 2.3 SPG.

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The Suns are 11-2 with Kevin Durant in uniform and 1-9 without him. Phoenix should be able to overcome Durant’s absences better than that, Gerald Bourguet of GoPhnx.com writes. Their futility in the games he’s missed is due in large part to Devin Booker‘s subpar efficiency and spotty defense, as well as Bradley Beal‘s inability to step up his game to fill the void, according to Bourguet.
Kawhi Leonard appears to be progressing toward a return this month and it would be an ideal time to ease him back into the Clippers‘ lineup, according to Law Murray of The Athletic. The Clippers don’t have back-to-back games until New Year’s Day and will only play six games in the 21-day window that begins on Monday, which should help their injured players heal up. “He’s a defensive-minded guy who can guard the basketball, guard five different positions,” head coach Tyronn Lue said of Leonard. “For him coming into what we’re doing, it shouldn’t be hard for him to get involved.”
Brandon Ingram‘s ankle injury, which will keep him out of action indefinitely, means the floundering Pelicans must soon make some difficult decisions, William Guillory of The Athletic writes. They must decide what to do with Ingram, a free agent after the season, and whether there’s still a trade market for him. They also must figure out what to do with their other oft-injured star, Zion Williamson.

Pelicans Provide Injury Updates On Zion Williamson, Four Others

December 4th, 2024 at 3:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The injury-ravaged Pelicans have announced in a press release that forward Zion Williamson is progressing well in his recovery from a left hamstring strain and will be reevaluated in about two weeks.

Reporting nearly two weeks ago indicated that Williamson wasn’t close to a return — the latest update from the Pelicans doesn’t suggest otherwise. While it’s possible the former No. 1 overall pick will be ready to suit up when he’s examined in two weeks, it’s more likely that his absence will extend beyond that date.

Williamson has been limited to just six games so far this season and hasn’t been active since November 6. The Pelicans have gone 1-12 since he last played.

Besides providing an update on Williamson, New Orleans also shared news on several other injured players within today’s announcement. Here’s the latest from the team:

Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado, like Williamson, is said to be progressing well through his rehabilitation process and will be reevaluated in approximately two weeks. Alvarado has been sidelined since November 11 due to a left hamstring strain.
Second-year wing Jordan Hawkins, who has missed 11 games this season due to what the team has typically referred to as low back soreness, has been diagnosed with a lumbar spine annular fissure. He’ll be reevaluated in about a week.
Forwards Brandon Ingram (right plantaris tendonitis) and Herbert Jones (right shoulder strain) both went through a full practice on Wednesday and will be listed as questionable to play on Thursday vs. Phoenix. Ingram has missed New Orleans’ past five games, while Jones has been out for 18 in a row. Shams Charania of ESPN reported earlier this week that both players were trending toward being able to return on Thursday.

Pelicans Rumors: McCollum, Ingram, Zion, Tax, Jones

December 2nd, 2024 at 1:09pm CST by Luke Adams

CJ McCollum continues to be an effective offensive weapon for the Pelicans when he’s healthy, having scored 20.0 points and handed out 3.3 assists per game in eight outings (all starts) this season. He’s also viewed as a leader in New Orleans’ locker room, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

Still, according to Scotto, opposing executives wonder whether McCollum, who turned 33 in September, is a long-term fit alongside Dejounte Murray in the Pelicans’ backcourt and have speculated that the club could be willing to listen to offers on the veteran guard before the 2025 trade deadline.

“New Orleans should move McCollum, and they’ll likely move (Brandon) Ingram for another proven player,” one executive told HoopsHype.

While it remains to be seen how willing the Pelicans will be to discuss McCollum, previous reporting has indicated that the team explored deals involving Ingram over the summer and will likely continue to do so if the two sides can’t agree to terms on an extension. League sources tell Scotto that Ingram is looking to secure as close to a maximum-salary contract as possible, while New Orleans would be open to paying him just slightly more than his current $36MM salary.

Here’s more on the Pelicans:

Given Zion Williamson‘s history of injury issues, one rival executive told Scotto that he’d only consider trading a single first-round pick in a deal for the former No. 1 overall selection.
League sources tell HoopsHype that the Pelicans want to avoid paying the luxury tax this season, which will mean making at least one cost-cutting trade prior to the February 6 deadline. That’s no surprise, given that New Orleans is one of two teams never to pay the tax and this 4-17 roster doesn’t look like the one worth ending that streak for.
Ingram, who has missed the past four games due to what the Pelicans are calling right plantaris tendinitis, has been upgraded to questionable for Monday’s game vs. Atlanta, while Herbert Jones, who has been out since October 29 with a shoulder injury, has been upgraded to doubtful, tweets Will Guillory of The Athletic. It’s still TBD whether either player will be activated for tonight’s game, but it sounds like both could be available on Thursday vs. Phoenix.
In case you missed it, we passed along a handful of Pelicans-related notes focusing on Ingram and Williamson on Sunday.

Trade Rumors: Collins, Jazz, Bulls, Nets, Zion, Butler

December 1st, 2024 at 5:29pm CST by Rory Maher

In each of the past two seasons, the Jazz started out surprisingly competitive, with .500 records in early February, only to sell off veterans and tank down the stretch to improve their lottery odds. With a 4-15 start to the 2024/25 campaign, Utah’s front office probably isn’t concerned about the team’s place in the reverse standings.

That doesn’t mean the Jazz won’t be listening to offers for their veterans again though, according to Marc Stein at Substack, who lists big man John Collins and guards Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton as three trade candidates to keep an eye on.

On paper, Collins put up solid numbers in ’23/24, which was his first season with Utah, averaging 15.1 PPG and 8.5 RPG on .532/.371/.795 shooting in 68 games (28.0 MPG). But there was a fairly long adjustment period between player and team — his fit was awkward at times in the frontcourt.

Collins has looked more comfortable — and been more productive — to open ’24/25, averaging 17.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.5 APG and 1.3 SPG (up from 1.1 and 0.6 last season, respectively) in approximately the same amount of minutes (28.7 MPG). His shooting line is currently .535/.353/.949.

The 27-year-old’s bounce-back season has Utah’s front office happy with the decision to acquire him from Atlanta for essentially a second-round pick, Stein writes. Collins is owed $25.8MM this season, with a $26.8MM player option for ’25/26, so his contract could prove more difficult to move than that of Clarkson, who is owed $14.1MM this season and $14.3MM in ’25/26, Stein adds. Sexton, meanwhile, will earn $18.4MM in ’24/25, followed by $19.2MM in ’25/26.

Here are some more trade rumors from around the NBA:

Like Jake Fischer, Stein hears the Bulls are considered a prominent seller ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline, with Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and Lonzo Ball considered the most likely candidates to be dealt. In fact, Stein says Chicago’s front office seems confident it will be able to trade “at least one” of those players in the next few months.
A surprisingly competitive 9-11 start reportedly won’t deter the Nets from trading away veterans, with Brooklyn expected to join Utah and Chicago as clear sellers. “Just about everyone on their roster is available as long as they don’t take back long-term money,” one source told Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Insider link). “(But) they’re not giving anyone away. At least not yet.” According to Stein, rival teams are particularly intrigued by the strong play of veteran point guard Dennis Schröder, who is on an expiring $13MM contract.
This isn’t a trade rumor, but Stein reports that there’s a “rising expectation” that Pelicans star Zion Williamson will hire Bill Duffy of WME Sports to be his next agent. Williamson, who is currently sidelined by a hamstring strain, recently parted ways with CAA. Duffy has several prominent clients around the NBA, per RealGM, including Vucevic, Luka Doncic, Scottie Barnes and Anthony Edwards, among others.
A number of teams are monitoring Jimmy Butler‘s situation with the Heat, Fischer said on a Bleacher Report livestream (video link). However, Fischer hasn’t heard any recent chatter specifically involving the six-time All-Star, who can be an unrestricted free next summer if he declines his $52.4MM player option for ’25/26.

Pelicans Notes: Williamson, Ingram, Agency Changes

December 1st, 2024 at 12:18pm CST by Luke Adams

Head coach Willie Green referred to them as “the best duo in the NBA” 13 months ago, but it’s time for the Pelicans to admit that the pairing of forwards Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram hasn’t panned out, contends Christian Clark of NOLA.com (subscription required).

As Clark details, injuries have consistently derailed any hope the Pelicans have had of building momentum behind Williamson and Ingram, who have played just 73 games together since Green was hired in July 2021.

Differences between the ways the two stars need to be motivated have also created a disconnect, according to Clark, who says that Williamson “requires regimen and structure,” whereas Ingram has been at his best under player-friendly coaches like Alvin Gentry and Green.

When David Griffin was hired as the Pelicans’ head of basketball operations in 2019, he had two opportunities that offseason to add a player who could be New Orleans’ “tentpole” star to build around, Clark writes. The front office acquired Ingram in the Anthony Davis trade and drafted Williamson with the No. 1 overall pick. However, Clark argues that there’s now enough evidence to show that neither one is the face of the franchise the team had hoped they could become.

Here’s more on the Pelicans:

Communication has been an issue throughout Williamson’s tenure in New Orleans, according to Clark, who points to an example from this season’s opener – which the 24-year-old missed due to an illness – to illustrate that point. Williamson missed that morning’s shootaround, then showed up to the arena and was said to be a game-time decision before being ruled out. His lack of communication about his status left multiple team staffers “confused,” Clark says, setting the tone for the Pelicans’ disappointing fall.
While there were rumors that Williamson’s camp was dissatisfied with CAA for years before he parted ways with the agency in November, Ingram’s decision to leave Excel Sports Management came as more of a surprise, according to Clark.
Both Clark and Shamit Dua of In The N.O. reported that Ingram was expected to sign with Klutch Sports before Shams Charania of ESPN confirmed as much on Sunday. Dua speculates that Ingram made his agency change because Excel wasn’t able to secure him the type of extension he sought or a trade to a desired landing spot, whereas Klutch is known for “pulling out all the stops” for its clients. Williamson isn’t expected to follow Ingram to Klutch, Dua adds.
Multiple league sources tell Dua that the Pelicans and Jazz had discussions about a possible Ingram trade earlier this year, but that they hit a standstill due to the forward’s disinterest in signing in Utah long-term. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported this week that finding a team with whom Ingram would be willing to extend has been one of several factors complicating the Pelicans’ trade efforts.
In case you missed it, we also passed along a few Pelicans notes on Saturday evening.

Southwest Notes: Durant, Rockets, Cuban, Udoka, Williamson

November 25th, 2024 at 7:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Rockets’ interest in Kevin Durant has been overstated, Marc Stein reports in a Substack post. Stein wrote last month that there was a strong belief around the league that the Rockets were interested in a Durant deal.

Stein hears now that Houston is determined to prioritize internal development this season rather than looking to make a big move before the February trade deadline. Houston’s front office intends to prioritize timeline considerations, as much as talent and fit, when they do make their next major trade. The Rockets’ roster is loaded with younger players, featuring seven first-round picks who are 23 or younger.

Kelly Iko of The Athletic previously reported that the Rockets aren’t interested in breaking up their young core to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo. Of course, it’s worth noting that neither Durant nor Antetokounmpo is available at this time.

We have more from the Southwest Division:

Mark Cuban has essentially ceased going to Mavericks games on the road and there’s a big reason why, he told Stein. “The NBA got really, really, really petty and said that I can’t sit behind the bench anymore,” Cuban said. Stein points out that Cuban’s presence in the second row behind the bench was a violation of league rules but the league ignored it for many years when he was the franchise’s controlling owner. Cuban sold his majority stake in the Mavericks last year. Cuban talks to Mavs general manager Nico Harrison frequently but Patrick Dumont is the Mavericks’ official governor and operates as day-to-day owner, according to Cuban.
The Rockets’ strong start has been fueled by an improved defense and that’s no accident. Head coach Ime Udoka firmly believes that defense wins championships. “We’re only as good as our one-on-one defense,” Udoka told The Ringer’s Michael Pina. “We’re only as good as all our five on the court, and any weak link is exploited. Everything flows out from that philosophy, which makes a ton of sense on paper but is quite grueling in practice. It’s not a lot of schematics to it. There’s a lot of will and want to it, for sure. But it’s also very eye-opening when you show them the numbers from the previous few years in those areas. If you’re honestly tired of losing and want to change the perception of the team, I mean, that’s where we all start.”
The Pelicans have a lot of hard decisions to make in the coming months and offseason, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith opines. One thing they should seriously consider, in Smith’s view, is moving on from oft-injured Zion Williamson via the trade route or by getting out of his contract. He’s a dominant offensive force when healthy but his rebounding and defense is subpar, Smith notes. Due to a games played clause, the Pelicans can get out of Williamson’s contract after this season with no more than $7.8MM owed to him if he doesn’t appear in at least 41 total games this season. Williamson is currently out with another hamstring injury.

Southwest Notes: Mavs, Marshall, Spurs, Pelicans, McCollum

November 23rd, 2024 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

After a late-game defensive breakdown resulted in a frustrating two-point loss in Utah last Thursday, the Mavericks immediately watched film and held a post-game meeting, with “accountability, effort and unselfishness” among the themes, writes Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News.

“We talked about a lot of things, and got a lot of things out in the open,” Mavericks forward P.J. Washington said, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. “But the main thing is that we knew we were better than that, and that we had to be better going forward.”

“We needed to stop playing ‘I’ basketball and we needed to play ‘we’ basketball,” center Dereck Lively added, per Curtis. “That’s what we’ve been doing these past couple of games and it’s been working.”

As Lively points out, the Mavericks have turned things around since falling to 5-7 with that loss in Utah. The team will take a four-game winning streak into Miami on Sunday, having registered a pair of comfortable home victories over San Antonio and New Orleans along with two impressive road wins in Oklahoma City and Denver in the past week. While that loss to the Jazz has cost the Mavs a few spots in the tightly congested Western Conference standings, Washington is happy that something good came out of it.

“In a way I’m kind of glad that it happened,” he said. “Because you never want to lose like that. We all knew that we were capable of doing a lot of things better. We needed to be accountable to each other. So, that’s why we kind of talked about it right after the game.”

We have more from around the Southwest:

Mavericks forward Naji Marshall helped seal Friday’s win over Denver, playing clutch minutes in the fourth quarter with Klay Thompson on the bench, notes Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda spoke to Marshall about adjusting to a new team this fall after spending four years in New Orleans and talked to some of Marshall’s new teammates about the impact the newcomer has had so far. “This is the most talented team I’ve been on,” Marshall told Afseth. “The coaches are great, the front office is amazing, and the training staff is incredible. I really have no complaints.”
Devin Vassell (sore left knee) will be unavailable for a fourth straight game on Saturday, but it appears Victor Wembanyama (bruised right knee) will make his return after missing the past three contests. After initially listing both players as questionable, the Spurs have ruled out Vassell and upgraded Wembanyama to probable, tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News.
The Pelicans have lost 13 of 15 games since opening the season with back-to-back wins and now hold a 4-13 record. However, Zion Williamson remains optimistic that the team has time to turn things around, especially once more key players – including Zion himself – return from injuries. “We know the position we are in right now,” Williamson said, per Christian Clark of NOLA.com. “It’s not a good one at the moment. We come in the gym every day in good spirits. We are going to figure it out.”
One injured Pelicans player who appears to be nearing a return? CJ McCollum. The veteran guard has been on the shelf since October 29 due to a thigh injury, but told reporters that he went through a contact practice on Saturday and hopes to suit up on Monday vs. Indiana (Twitter link via Will Guillory of The Athletic).

Zion Williamson Parting Ways With CAA

November 23rd, 2024 at 9:57am CST by Luke Adams

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson and his representatives at Creative Arts Agency, including agent Austin Brown, are parting ways, sources tell Joe Vardon and Sam Amick of The Athletic.

It’s unclear why the two sides are ending their relationship, according to The Athletic’s duo, but the National Basketball Players Association has confirmed that CAA is no longer listed as Williamson’s representative.

The player’s union doesn’t yet have a new agent on record for the former No. 1 overall pick, Vardon and Amick add. A player who parts with an agent must wait 15 days before hiring new representation.

Williamson is in the second season of a five-year, maximum-salary contract, so in all likelihood, he won’t be negotiating a new deal anytime soon.

However, as Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic previously reported, the 24-year-old’s contract is a unique one. Currently, the final three years of Williamson’s deal, beginning in 2025/26, are non-guaranteed. He can re-guarantee part or all of his salary for ’25/26 by meeting the following benchmarks:

Appearing in at least 41 games this season: 40% guarantee
Appearing in at least 51 games this season: An additional 20%
Appearing in at least 61 games this season: An additional 20%
Passing all six of his weigh-in checkpoints this season (his combined weight and body fat percentage must be below 295): An additional 20%

Those criteria are the same for each season. For instance, if Williamson plays in at least 61 games and passes all his weigh-in checkpoints during the 2025/26 season, he would automatically guarantee his full salary for ’26/27.

The Pelicans forward is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury and reportedly isn’t close to returning, so those games-played thresholds will become increasingly difficult to meet the longer he remains sidelined, meaning some or all of his ’25/26 salary will likely remain non-guaranteed.

Still, as Vardon and Amick write, the Pelicans won’t realize any cap savings as a result of Williamson’s non-guaranteed salaries unless they waive him, which seems highly unlikely to happen anytime in the near future. If he remains under contract through July 15, 2025, his ’25/26 salary will become fully guaranteed.

When he’s healthy and available, the former Duke standout is one of the NBA’s most dynamic players — he holds career averages of 24.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 31.8 minutes per game across 190 outings (all starts). The problem is that he has missed 217 regular season games and counting during his five-plus seasons in the league.