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Shockingly, Zion Williamson, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, is now the longest-tenured player on the New Orleans Pelicans following a series of moves this offseason.
The revelation was unearthed on Reddit, courtesy of u/322KPM, as all of the players that joined the Pelicans prior to Williamson, have now either been traded or signed elsewhere in free agency during the truncated offseason period.
Williamson took over the reins once the Pelicans traded Jrue Holiday to the Milwaukee Bucks last week. In addition to Holiday, Derrick Favors (Utah Jazz) and Jahlil Okafor (Detroit Pistons) left the Pelicans in free agency and have already agreed to new deals.
Based on how the Pelicans structured some other deals, Williamson, who signed on July 1, 2019, narrowly has the edge over the likes of Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and Brandon Ingram, who were all officially acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers on July 6.
Here are the signing and acquisition dates of the rest of the roster:
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Rights acquired on July 7
- Zylan Cheatham (two-way): Signed on July 26
- Josh Gray (two-way): Signed on July 26
- Jaxson Hayes: Rights acquired on July 7
- Nicolò Melli: Signed on July 25
- J.J. Redick: Signed on July 15
Additionally, Frank Jackson, E’Twaun Moore, Sindarius Thornwell and Kenrich Williams all have not received new contracts with the Pelicans and are currently free agents. They have not signed with new organizations as of Saturday.
The Pelicans have been among the most active teams thus far this offseason and are certainly transitioning into the next phase of their competitive state. Despite all of the moves, the idea of Williamson being the longest-tenured player is still somehow shocking.
He’ll be around for quite some time, too…
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