NBA Rumors: New Orleans Pelicans to tried pair Zion Williamson with former Rookie of the Year winner in 2019 draft

NBA and New Orleans Pelicans superstar Zion Williamson nearly teamed up with his former teammate Ja Morant back in 2019. It was a move that could have potentially changed the current outlook of the Western Conference.

According to Christian Clark of the New Orleans Times, the Pelicans' front office was keen to bring Ja Morant to New Orleans ahead of the 2019 NBA Draft. However, he was rebuffed by the Memphis Grizzlies front office. Clark said:

"The Pelicans were intrigued by the possibility of pairing AAU teammates Williamson and Morant together in 2019, sources said."

Clark continued:

"They had the Nos. 1 and 4 picks entering that draft. They offered the Grizzlies multiple packages that included the No. 4 pick. All of their offers were rebuffed."

The Grizzlies will certainly be thanking their lucky stars for not agreeing to this deal. Ja Morant has gone on to become a superstar in the league and has led the team to a strong showing this season.

He has them sitting third in the highly competitive Western Conference and could potentially make some serious noise in the postseason this year.

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What does the future look like for New Orleans Pelicans and Zion Williamson?

Zion watching his team from the sidelines

The New Orleans Pelicans are having a tumultuous campaign at the moment and are seemingly going nowhere in the highly competitive Western Conference. They are languishing as the 12th seed in the West with a record that reads 18 wins and 31 losses.

One of the primary reasons why the Pelicans have failed to deliver on expectations this season is because of the absence of rising superstar Zion Williamson. He has been sidelined for the entirety of the season thus far due to a foot injury and has had surgery. But once he is available for the team again, him and Brandon Ingram are a pair that could potentially get the Pelicans into the postseason.

The acquisition of CJ McCollum from the Portland Trail Blazers is huge for Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans. McCollum is a sharpshooter (39.8% from the perimeter for his career) and can instantly space the floor in a much better fashion for the Pelicans.

If the Pels can put Williamson and Ingram on the court together with McCollum, they will have three players who can get a bucket at will.

Williamson will always attract double-teams as his game is predicated on his ability inside the arc. When the defense does collapse on him, he can dish it out to the open man in McCollum or Ingram.

However, the current need of the hour for both Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans is for the superstar talent to get fit and return to the starting five. The future of the franchise is essentially predicated on what Williamson is able to conjure up.