The most fun destinations for Zion, ranked

Zion Williamson’s year at Duke lived up to the hype and then some, as he gave college hoops fans a glimpse of the impossible on a nightly basis. Whether it was a ferocious dunk, an astonishing block, a balletic traipse through the defense or just his shoe exploding on national television, Williamson was appointment viewing.

Everyone knew that the Zion Show would be a limited-run engagement. He was always destined for the NBA after a one-year stopover in Durham. And while you’ll occasionally run into folks who think Ja Morant or R.J. Barrett project better as pros, the overwhelming majority of analysts, pundits, scouts and fans thinks that the 2019 draft lottery is the Zion Sweepstakes.

With that in mind, not all potential Zion destinations are created equal. There are some teams that would be much more buzz-worthy and flat-out fun than others were they to land Williamson’s services. Let’s rank the 10 best NBA destinations for Zion Williamson.

10. New Orleans Pelicans Anthony Davis was a stud for the Pelicans, and lord knows New Orleans is one of the most fun cities in the country to visit. But Williamson ending up here feels like it would be a losing proposition. Davis desperately wants out of the Big Easy, and the Pelicans seem inclined to grant his wish. Would Zion’s presence be enough to change Davis’ mind? Doubtful. If it did, then New Orleans would have two of the most physically unique and gifted players in the sport patrolling their frontcourt. Pretty, pretty, pretty good.

9. Washington Wizards Ever hop onto Twitter and see someone writing angry things about his or her favorite professional basketball team? There is a good chance you’ve just come across a Wizards fan. Pity the fans in D.C., for they cheer for a perpetually talented-yet-dysfunctional outfit that can’t get out of its own way. John Wall’s contract is very, very bad, and Bradley Beal might be shipped out of town. Washington will have a new GM for the first time since Michael Jordan (and Kwame Brown) were in town, so it’s high time for a fresh start. Williamson would be just that.

8. Chicago Bulls You know, I was going to write something myself here, but why not just hear it from a Bulls fan? I texted a Chicago friend about the thought of Zion on the Bulls, and this is what I received in reply: "Honestly, most people I’ve talked to are terrified the Bulls will end up messing Zion’s career up." Wonderful!

7. Phoenix Suns Deandre Ayton patrolling the paint, Devin Booker splashing from everywhere, and Zion dunking everything in sight? Now we’re talking. Except, the Suns feel like more of a basketball backwater than they should. The most common Suns headline to read is “Booker sets record with [blank], Suns lose.” Williamson’s presence would hopefully change that, but Phoenix is such a hit-or-miss sports town that you wonder if Williamson would get lost out there. If only the Suns had a history with power forwards whose weight was thought to be a concern…

6. Cleveland Cavaliers I know, I know. As cities go, Cleveland perhaps doesn’t have the highest Q rating (ironic, considering who owns the Cavs), but when it comes to sports, things are all coming up 216. It has Baker Mayfield generating major buzz and optimism for the previously moribund Browns, the Indians will probably end up winning the AL Central again this year, and if the Cavs got Zion and turn things around, the town would be sports-crazy 365 days a year. The ‘Land is one of the best sports towns, pound-for-pound, in the United States. Important counterpoint to all of this: Dan Gilbert.

5. Atlanta Hawks Is Atlanta a great sports town? Not really. However, fans in the ATL love a good spectacle, and they got one this past season in the form of Trae Young doing his best Steph Curry impersonation. Williamson dunking on everything in sight and generally wreaking havoc would qualify as a spectacle. Hawks fans turned out in a big way for Dominique Wilkins, so why wouldn’t they do the same for Zion? Plus, think of all the creative Zion references you’ll get from the Atlanta hip-hop scene. Everybody wins!

4. Charlotte Hornets Williamson grew up about 45 miles outside Charlotte. This is LeBron rescuing Cleveland all over again, except in a city with much better weather and an owner who happens to be, at worst, the second-best player the sport has ever seen, as well as a guy with no history of using Comic Sans in angry missives. This would energize the Hornets, sell a ton of jerseys and be extremely convenient for Williamson personally. He won’t even have to do that weird thing where you move to a new city and have to figure out which grocery store is the “good” one that sells sushi and prepared foods and brand-name deli meats.

3. New York Knicks Best? No, of course not. The Knicks are a dysfunctional mess. James Dolan is one of the worst owners in professional sports, a thin-skinned crybaby whose bullying of disgruntled fans is somehow only his second-worst quality, trailing by a wide margin his work as a jazz "musician." The word belongs in quotes because, well, just read any review of his band and you’ll see. New York has the cap room to sign two max free agents. One figures to be Kevin Durant, and the other could be Kyrie Irving. Can you imagine adding Zion to that mix? If this was 1985 and David Stern was still commissioner, Williamson would be MSG-bound.

2. Los Angeles Lakers Magic Johnson quit his job as Lakers president of basketball operations because he wanted to tweet boring, obvious observations about other NBA games. That’s about the long and short of it — and because he realized he’s incredibly rich and doesn’t need the stress associated with managing the league’s glamour franchise. You’ve got to respect him for just kind of being emphatically done with things all at once. In any event, L.A. is a mess right now but still has LeBron. They're still the Lakers, and Williamson coming to town would generate buzz, to put it mildly. It would be a great fit, and a ton of fun, even if it didn’t work out on the court. Heck, that might make it even better. Still, it’s not the best, most fun landing spot for Zion.

1. Dallas Mavericks The Mavericks probably didn’t come to mind, did they? They should have. The NBA is a superstar-driven league, and in Luka Doncic Dallas has a potentially transcendent talent. Kristaps Porzingis is now in the fold as well, and a starting five that included those two and Zion would be one of the most interesting in the league. Dallas isn’t New York or L.A., but as far as big cities go, it’s no shrinking violet. Mark Cuban would get to tailor his complaints about the officials to each star player’s particular skill set, too. Doncic, Porzingis and Williamson teaming up for the next 15 years to terrify the league and win titles might not be the big-market story everyone wants, but it’s the one we need.