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Friday was a huge day of news around the Charlotte Hornets. Earlier this morning, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that Michael Jordan was selling his majority stake in the franchise after thirteen years as the only African-American majority owner in sports. Almost simultaneously, fellow NBA insider Marc Stein said on his podcast, #thisleague UNCUT, that the Pelicans are considering moving Zion Williamson to the Charlotte Hornets.
“Based on what I’m hearing, yes, the Pelicans are legitimately considering,” Stein says in the edition that was released last night. (It) doesn’t mean they would 100 percent do it, but they are considering the prospect of trying to assemble a deal for Charlotte’s No. 2 pick that would feature Zion Williamson.” This follows the report from Shams Charnia on Monday that the team was motivated to get Scoot Henderson and that they were considering parting ways with Williamson or wing Brandon Ingram to get it done.
Earlier today on Charlotte Sports Today, Jeff Rickard, Colin Hoggard and guests Chris McClain and Travis Hancock, who stuck around from the Mac & Bone Show, discussed the idea of Zion coming to Charlotte. “I don’t trust that he can play thirty games in this league,” said McClain. “He’s $39 million per year and his new contract just kicks in this year.” Rickard disagreed with the attitude that McClain was taking toward the fifth-year forward from Duke. “You know if he’s healthy, he can be one of the top players in the NBA.” McClain countered by saying that he agrees with the notion that he can be one of the best, but that there is simply too much risk.
McClain isn’t wrong that it would be an extreme risk. Williamson has played in less than 30 games in three of his first four seasons, including none in 2021-22 when he missed the entire season with a foot injury. Injuries haven’t been the only problem for him either. Williamson has struggled to stay in shape since coming to the NBA and it has been contributing factor to all of the injuries. There is also a question about his maturity level after adult film star Moriah Mills took to Twitter to try to expose their relationship after another woman announced her pregnancy by him on Instagram.
Hancock pointed also drew the guys’ attention to the word of the report as well. “Doesn’t the fact they say the Pelicans are considering mean that they already know the Hornets are interested?” Rickard said that with his background as a reporter, the wording shouldn’t be something that is read into too much because Stein likely hasn’t spoken with both sides, just the one.
FULL REACTION TO ZION AND MICHAEL JORDAN NEWS
