Update 05/16/2019 1:04am:
This year's NBA Draft Lottery was a de facto Zion Williamson sweepstakes. Many people were sold on the idea that the Knicks would land the Duke standout freshman considering they had a 14% chance to snag the #1 overall pick. However, the Knicks are picking third and are effectively out of the running for Zion.
A number of pundits scoffed at the idea of Zion playing in New Orleans after the Pelicans won the lottery. Williamson was reportedly deflated after learning that the Knicks didn't get the #1 pick. Stephen Jackson said that Zion shouldn't play for the Pelicans if he's drafted by them and ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst concurred. Windhorst also threw out a potential lifeline Zion could threaten the Pelicans with and that is by returning to Duke for his sophomore campaign.
According to Windhorst, Zion hasn't yet signed with an agent so he hasn't relinquished his NCAA eligibility. While on ESPN's The Jump, Windhorst floated the following scenario out there:
"He does have some options. I'm not saying he's going to pick these options, but he has not signed with an agent and he has not signed a shoe deal yet, [...] He could threaten to go back to Duke.
Original 05/15/2019 11:03am:
Now that the NBA Draft Lottery has been decided and it's been revealed that the New Orleans Pelicans have been granted the number one pick, it's being reported that the player most likely to be selected was hoping that the ping pong balls would send him to New York.
According to ESPN's Marc J. Spears, Zion Williamson wasn't thrilled with the Pelicans good fortune, as he reportedly had told his team that he wanted to play for the Knicks. Sure enough, when New Orleans was announced as the winner of the lottery, the Duke star was "quickly WHISKED out of the room" leaving many to speculate that he's been left disappointed.
Entering the draft lottery, the Pelicans had just a 6% chance of securing the ultimate prize, compared to the Knicks who had a 14% chance and ended up with the third pick.
Source: CBSSports
