Zion Williamson has missed eight straight games, and the team has suffered 1-7. “We know the position we are in right now. It’s not a good one at the moment. We come to the gym every day with good spirits. We’re going to fix it.” The 24-year-old was supposed to be out for a few weeks, but now the return timeline is unknown. It’s not the first time the Pelicans have dealt with their star player’s injury crisis, and they seem to be building a future without him. But even that move has some hurdles along the way.

“Scenario A, the preferable scenario, is trade them and get value for them. I think that’s going to be extremely difficult to do given his injury history given the fact that he looked far less explosive than he had been in the past.” Tim MacMahon spoke to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps. With a 4-13 record, it looks difficult for the team from the Louisiana franchise to make it for the playoffs.

In his sixth season with the Pelicans, Zion Williamson has only helped the team twice to reach the playoffs stage. “It’s always something, always something with him, and very rarely is it involving anything to do with basketball. So I think getting any kind of reasonable value for him and trades difficult,” said McMahon via The Hoop Collective. During the podcast, McMahon also highlighted the point about the 2x All-Star’s contractual situation.

The Duke graduate signed a five-year contract in 2023, but the last three years are, in fact, non-guaranteed. Before signing the contract, he played in only 29 games, which is why the ‘protection clause’ is active. So, in July, the Pelicans could waive Zion Williamson without any financial repercussions.

Zion Williamson taking control of his future in his own hands

Despite being sidelined with an injury and the return not guaranteed in 2024, the Salisbury native is making moves about his future. As per reports, Zion Williamson split with the Creative Arts Agency (CAA), the $7 billion powerhouse talent agency, which has represented him since before the 2019 NBA Draft.

One of the reasons reported is because of the failed move to another franchise. As per Kris Pursiainen, the agency failed to materialize a move to the New York Knicks, and the power forward pulled the plug. Another reason in the report was the failure to remove the ‘protection clause’ and other performance metrics related to his performances. To refresh your memory, Zion Williamson’s salary could get partially guaranteed based on factors like playing 41, 51, or 61 games in a season. Or hitting weigh-in checkpoints.

So, the 24-year-old is moving on to fix his off-court ventures. But the Pelicans fans are waiting for ex-McD’s All-American to at least guide their team to the postseason. Now, the question remains with a recurring injury record: will New Orleans be the one to pull the plug sooner rather than later?