This is the on-site version of FTW’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning. Here’s Charles Curtis.
Let’s just get right to it. The talk about Zion Williamson possibly getting dealt by the New Orleans Pelicans is getting LOUD.
And I, for one, am all in for it.
Look, when Zion is on the court, he’s in the growing group of NBA unicorns: His combination of size, hops, passing and even a little bit of shooting is dangerous.
But the thing I just wrote? The thing is … when IS Zion on the court?
He missed a whole season due to a foot injury in 2021-22. He played just 29 games last year. His season-high in games played is 61 in 2020-21. We’ve reached the point where it’s time to wonder if his health is going to destroy what could be an amazing career.
There’s more to add. The Pels are a team with some intriguing pieces from CJ McCollum to Brandon Ingram to Trey Murphy III. What if they could maximize the value for Zion now — in the middle of an offseason that also included some off-the-court drama — and get, as the rumblings suggest, the rights to draft a player like G League phenom Scoot Henderson, who could drop a bit next week at the NBA Draft?
Now: What’s in it for a team to acquire Williamson? Well, dude’s only 22. A change of scenery here could be helpful. If the draft pick dealt is low enough, it could be seen as a buy-low.
There’s zero doubt about this. Heck, even if Scoot isn’t in the cards, the Pelicans should be selling to the highest bidder and starting from … not quite scratch.
Do it.
Quick Hits: The Golden Knights win the Stanley Cup! … Reverse boycott … And more.
— The Vegas Golden Knights are your Stanley Cup champions! Check out the photos from the clinching win, listen to fans singing My Own Worst Enemy and check out babies sitting in the Cup.
— Oakland A’s fans held a “reverse boycott” and packed the stadium to tell ownership how they felt.
— Christian D’Andrea ranked every NFL wide receiver corps from worst to best.
