US reporter: Zion's agent has no intention of pushing the Pelicans to trade players

According to a joint report by ESPN reporter Tim McMahon and salary expert Bobby Marks, Zion Williamson 's agent Bill Duffy has no intention of pushing the Pelicans to trade him.

The 24-year-old Zion Williamson entered the NBA as the No. 1 pick in 2019, but his career has been limited by frequent injuries. So far, he has only played 45% of the games for the New Orleans Pelicans. Failed to meet the high expectations of the outside world.

So far this season, Zion Williamson has played only 6 times due to a hamstring strain, averaging 22.7 points, 8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.17 blocks per game. The Pelicans are also looking for Zion, Ingram and others. The team's record is dismal with the absence of key players, and it is currently ranked last in the Western Conference with a record of 5 wins and 29 losses.

Despite this, the New Orleans Pelicans prefer to keep Zion, who is talented but injured, and focus on trading Brandon Ingram, who is in the final year of his contract. The two sides failed to reach an early contract extension agreement due to salary issues. Mu is therefore seen as the key to the Pelicans' reconstruction.

McMahon and others went on to point out that the Pelicans did not think it was feasible to cut Zion to free up salary cap space, even though the non-guaranteed clause in his contract provided management with some flexibility - Zion's five-year, $197 million contract It includes guarantee clauses related to weight and attendance, which are used to determine the guaranteed proportion of future salary. In any case, the Pelicans still regard Zion as an important asset for the team's future and plan to gradually help him return.

Zion's agent also holds the same view as the Pelicans. Recently, Zion hired Bill Duffy of WME as his agent after terminating his contract with CAA. Bill Duffy is also the agent of Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, and Anthony Davis. Agent for rising NBA stars such as Edwards and Chet Holmgren.