After revealing in a TNT interview on Saturday that he hadn’t been in contact at all with Zion Williamson since being traded to New Orleans, Pelicans guard CJ McCollum tells Malika Andrews of ESPN (Twitter link) that the star forward has since reached out to him and the two have spoken.
Williamson has been away from the Pelicans as he rehabs a foot injury that has sidelined him for the entire season, but it was still surprising that he and McCollum hadn’t had any communication nearly two weeks after New Orleans agreed to trade for the standout guard.
Current ESPN analyst and former Pelicans guard J.J. Redick criticized Williamson today for what he called a “complete lack of investment” in the team, describing him as a “detached teammate.” However, while the incident may fuel more speculation about Zion’s commitment to the Pels, there has been no indication that people within the organization viewed it as a serious problem.
Here’s more from around the Southwest:
- Appearing on 1310 The Ticket in Dallas on Tuesday, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he thinks Luka Doncic was “humbled a little bit” by criticism at the start of this season about his conditioning, as Tim MacMahon of ESPN relays. “I think he didn’t like being called out for his weight and other things, and it finally clicked that there’s a level of discipline that’s required,” Cuban said, adding that Doncic has been “unstoppable” since getting in better shape. “All athletes at his level go through it at some level, where things are just easy and you’re always used to being the best and you’re always used to getting all the accolades. Then when something doesn’t go according to expected, it makes you reconsider.”
- Keith Smith of Spotrac examines what an offseason contract for Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson might look like, noting that Brunson isn’t a legitimate candidate for a maximum-salary contract, but should get more than what Dallas can currently offer in an extension ($55.6M over four years).
- Having made his first All-Star team this season, Spurs guard Dejounte Murray is already eager to prove he can do it again, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. “I’m not a one-hit wonder. I got to be back here,” Murray said on Sunday. “… There ain’t no way I can miss out on these types of events. It was a hell of a weekend. I have to keep working.”
More must-reads: