Pelicans Suspend Star Zion Williamson

Two-time All-Star New Orleans Pelicans power forward Zion Williamson has been suspended by his own team for a game due to "a violation of team policies," sources inform ESPN's Shams Charania.

Williamson has played sparingly this season already, although mostly he has been sidelined due to health issues, not violating New Orleans policies.

Per Charania, Williamson was tardy in arriving late to the team plane prior to a Thursday flight to Philadelphia. He will sit out only one game, Friday's clash with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Although Williamson had claimed he would be "out for straight vengeance" prior to the year, he's barely been available to his team long enough to do that.

Read More: Zion Williamson 'Out for Straight Vengeance' Ahead of Crucial Season

When Williamson has been available this year, he's submitted some terrific numbers. The Duke product has played in just seven games for New Orleans, averaging 22.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists a night.

New Orleans has truly had an absolutely cursed 2024-25 season thus far.

Fresh off a 49-33 run in 2023-24, expectations were high for the Pelicans to take a potential leap this year. Instead, the club has taken a tumble, in large part due to terrible injury luck.

As of this writing, the team possesses the second-worst record in the NBA, 7-31, and occupies the No. 15 overall seed in the Western Conference.

Earlier on Friday, it was reported that All-Defensive Team swingman Herbert Jones will be out indefinitely due to a posterior labrum tear in his right shoulder, as confirmed by imaging on Thursday.

According to the NBA's most recent injury report, All-Star Pelicans small forward Brandon Ingram is sidelined with a left ankle sprain, one-time All-Star guard Dejounte Murray is on the shelf with a right shin contusion and right elbow tendonitis, while swingman Trey Murphy III is shelved with a sprained left ankle.

This is after Igram missed several months of action with a broken hand after just one healthy game.

Several Pelicans players have been in and out of the team's lineups all year.

Read More: Pelicans Lose Yet Another Core Player with Long-Term Injury

New Orleans' chances of making the postseason at all this year already look rough, and it's only January. The No. 10 seed in the West right now, the 18-19 San Antonio Spurs, is 18-19 at present. Across an 82-game season, that translates to a 40-win pace.

To win 40 games, the Pelicans would have to go 33-11 the rest of the way this season. That would be almost impossible for all but the most elite squads in the league. With New Orleans' best player getting suspended for petty reasons, it sure seems unlikely that the Pelicans will be able to turn this ship around in time.

Tensions have also been complicated by the fact that it's been reported since the offseason that New Orleans had been looking to trade the expiring contract of Ingram. He remains rostered for now, but will become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Read More: New Orleans Looking to Trade All-Star After Extension Talks Fizzle

It might behoove the Pelicans to move off Ingram's money before he walks, and they lose him for nothing.

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