Rumors

The next superstar to request a trade will be ...? 1. Zion Williamson: 10 votes 2. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 7 votes 3. LeBron James: 6 votes 4. Ja Morant: 1 vote 5. Trae Young: 1 vote There isn't a situation simmering this summer that seems as destined for midseason divorce as Jimmy Butler's strained marriage with the Miami Heat was last season. Williamson's stay in New Orleans might have been extended by the Pelicans' front office change, with Joe Dumars replacing David Griffin as the primary decision-maker. If Williamson can have a strong start to the season -- and avoid the injury bug that has plagued his career -- it's feasible that he could seek a fresh start instead of remaining with a New Orleans franchise that seems stuck in neutral. It has been radio silent since James, via his agent Rich Paul, attempted to rattle the Lakers' cages immediately after exercising his $52.6 million player option for this season. The all-time leading scorer and his camp understand just how complicated a trade involving him -- at his age, making that much money, with the contractual right to veto any deal -- would be.

ESPN

Jim Eichenhofer: Combined games played for Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones last season: 103 Combined games played for Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, Herb Jones two seasons ago: 203

Twitter

2025-26 might be shaping up to be more of the same for Zion Williamson. A new image went viral this week of the New Orleans Pelicans star forward Williamson. In the image, Williamson was posing with a friend and was not wearing an undershirt. Take a look. Many X users commented that Williamson appeared to be looking a little hefty in that photo. While there is still roughly a month-and-a-half to go before the start of training camp, the picture was not too encouraging given Williamson’s reputation.

Larry Brown Sports

Legion Hoops: Zion Williamson enjoying summer (h/t @big_business_ )

Twitter

After a two-year hiatus, Jamal Crawford is even bringing his popular pro-am basketball league back next summer. “The Crawsover will be back,” Crawford said. “Next year I have it planned out, because I know I’ll be coaching, but still there’ll be a better plan going forward for sure.” Crawford said NBA stars such as Stephen Curry and Zion Williamson have expressed interest in playing in the event.

Seattle Times

Oh No He Didn't: Perk: "I talked to Zion's agent and he told me that Zion is on the right path" Spears: "From what I'm hearing from Joe (Dumars), he's been really, really impressed with Zion"

Twitter

Oh No He Didn't: Perk: "I talked to Zion's agent and he told me that Zion is on the right path" Spears: "From what I'm hearing from Joe (Dumars), he's been really, really impressed with Zion"

x.com

The Athletic talked with seven NBA coaches who have worked with Dillon Brooks. What amazed many is that Brooks — who has earned just one All-Defense nod (second team in 2023) — isn’t more respected as a defender, especially because of his versatility. McClure recalled a short Memphis stretch during which the 6-foot-6 Brooks defended then-Washington wing Bradley Beal, Portland guard Damian Lillard and New Orleans forward Zion Williamson. Memphis had others who matched up better against the bulldozer-like Williamson, but Brooks told the coaching staff: “I want him.”

New York Times

On Zion Williamson: “Zion is still our guy. If he wasn’t, we could have waived him for like nothing on the books. We could have reset everything. But we believe in Zion. He wants to make it work, and so do we. This partnership hasn’t even come close to reaching our best yet,” a Pelicans front office executive said.

Spotrac.com

What kind of rapport have you built with Zion? How do you get the best of him? Dumars: The first thing I would say about Zion is he’s an incredibly good guy. He’s a really good person. He’s obviously immensely talented. He and I have had some incredible conversations. We are in constant contact with each other. I’ve talked to him about the responsibility of being great and the responsibility of being a leader, of being a captain, of being the best player, of being the face of a franchise. I’ve talked to him about how all of those things come with responsibility and how it’s time now at 25 years old to embrace those responsibilities.

Andscape

Zion Williamson’s contract has been the topic of discussion since the details were made public. The Pelicans were afforded a number of protections over the duration of the deal, but Williamson retained the ability to guarantee his money through various avenues. Based on language in Williamson’s contract, if the Pelicans did not request waivers on or by July 15, 2025, 100% of the Base Compensation would be protected. League sources indicate Williamson’s salary will become fully guaranteed for the 2025-26 Season.

In the NO

As of today, the subsequent 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons are fully non-guaranteed. Williamson can earn back money through the following avenues. 20% if Player satisfies the Weigh-In Criteria during the 2025-26 Season; 40% if Player satisfies the 41 Games Played Criteria during the 2025-26 Season; 20% if Player satisfies the 51 Games Played Criteria during the 2025-26 Season; and 20% if Player satisfies the 61 Games Played Criteria during the 2025-26 Season:

In the NO

Thursday’s Lakers-Mavericks NBA Summer League game, which marked the NBA debut of #1 pick Cooper Flagg, averaged 955,000 viewers on ESPN — marking the fourth-largest Summer League audience ever on the ESPN networks. The Mavericks’ win, which peaked with 1.12 million viewers, trails only Hornets-Spurs in 2023 (Victor Wembanyama’s debut: 1.39M), Pelicans-Knicks in 2019 (Zion Williamson’s debut: 1.61M) and Celtics-Lakers in 2017 (1.1M).

Sports Media Watch

Jim Eichenhofer: Derik Queen on playing with Zion Williamson for #Pelicans: "He's a killer. I can't wait to talk to him, and excited to be his teammate. Can't wait to talk to him, pick his brain, ask him questions about the game."

Twitter