The New Orleans Pelicans went through some drastic changes before the 2019-20 NBA season got underway back in October. The team brought in the new face of the franchise by winning the NBA Draft Lottery and selecting Zion Williamson with the No. 1 overall pick.
That major victory for New Orleans was followed up by the most substantial trade in team history with the Pelicans sending superstar Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and several draft picks.
Williamson and Davis, who could've become one of the best duos in the NBA, were never teammates with the Lakers and Pelicans pulling off the blockbuster a few days before the draft. However, once New Orleans won the draft lottery back in May, Zion knew he where he was headed, and that had him thinking about teaming up with Davis.
“Yeah, I did think about it a bit,” Williamson said of thoughts of playing with Davis before the trade. “I wasn't going to like think on it too much. We didn't know whether he was coming back or not, so it just didn't happen. So there wasn't much to think about.”
Article Continues BelowAlthough the pairing of Williamson and Davis never came to fruition, the trade seems to have worked out for both players regardless. Davis is in the running for NBA Defensive Player of the Year while helping the top-seeded Lakers to dominance in the Western Conference while Zion is quickly turning into the superstar everyone expected him to be and creating a dynamic duo with Ingram in the process.
After the Lakers were able to get the best of Zion and company on Tuesday night at the Staples Center, Davis talked about playing against the new face of the Pelicans franchise.
“It was fun. I mean he's a great player,” Davis said of Williamson. “He has a quick first step, very explosive. Second jump, he was unbelievable. There were some times where we tried to foul him when he got by us, or he had an easy lay-up or dunk, and he made free-throws. He's going to continue to get better and better. Obviously, this is his first year, and they're fighting for a spot, but as time goes on, he'll get more experience with the game, he'll be fine.”
Both Davis and Williamson had solid performances on Tuesday night in Los Angeles. The Pelicans rookie forward finished with 29 points while the Lakers superstar added 21 points, 14 rebounds, and six blocks to the stat sheet.