As modern-day NBA players will tend to do, Zion Williamson took his sweet time before finally getting around to talking to reporters after Monday night’s game in Boston.
His Pelicans team had just blown a 17-point lead to Jayson Tatum’s and Jaylen Brown’s Celtics in a 118-112 loss. Most players in that situation are either quick to exit TD Garden or aren’t in much of a mood to talk. But Williamson remained in a jovial mood in the locker room.
And when I asked him about battling Duke buddy Tatum and his Celtics in Boston, Williamson couldn’t help but chuckle and smile.
Asked @Zionwilliamson about battling @jaytatum0 in Boston: “It’s dope. We was talking about it before the game. This is a dope ass arena. Playing here and their fan base shows them a lot of love … your basketball blood can’t help but come out.”#Pelicans #DifferentHere #NBA pic.twitter.com/aGFfP0KTPn
— Gethin Coolbaugh (@GethinCoolbaugh) January 30, 2024
“It’s dope,” Williamson said. “We was talking about it before the game — this is a dope ass arena. I mean, playing here and their fanbase shows them a lot of love. When you're in an environment like this, I mean, your basketball blood can’t help but come out.”
Williamson and Tatum have a history beyond their clashes on the court. Before Williamson’s freshman season at Duke, a then NBA sophomore Tatum returned to his old stomping grounds to show him and felllow Blue Devil Cam Reddish around Durham.
“He’s been a great dude. He has been since day one,” Williamson said. “From day one, I mean, JT been solid.”
When Williamson and Tatum have met on the court, it’s brought out the best in both. The two have faced off three times in the NBA: Williamson has averaged 27.3 and 7.3 rebounds points while Tatum has averaged 31.3 and 9.7 boards. Williamson's team has gotten the better of Tatum's in two of those three meetings.
Watching the two Duke studs go at it on Monday, one can’t help but wonder what they could do together if they were wearing the same uniform…
It’s a partnership that could make a lot of sense for the Celtics — but not today.
Neither Tatum nor Williamson are set to hit the free agent market particularly soon. Tatum is under contract through the end of next with a player option for $37 million — which I would imagine the now perennial MVP candidate is all but certain to decline at this point. Simply put, he’s worth more. Way more.
While Tatum may finish his career in another uniform — much as we all hate to envision it, would anyone be surprised to see him don the Lakers’ purple and gold someday following in the footsteps of his idol Kobe Bryant? — it would be shocking to see him in anything but a Celtics jersey for the foreseeable future.
Williamson, meanwhile, signed a five-year, $197-million (worth up to $231 million) deal with New Orleans in 2022. But after three injury-plagued seasons to begin his NBA career, Williamson’s deal is no longer fully guaranteed — only $18.3 million of his deal for the 24-25 season is guaranteed. The final three seasons of his Pelicans deal — worth just under $130 million — are not guaranteed. If the Pelicans and Williamson did indeed stick it out, he would become an unrestricted free agent in 2028.
But as we’ve seen in recent years, long-term agreements mean very little when superstars become disgruntled in today’s NBA (see Durant, Kevin and Irving, Kyrie and Harden, James…). There’s no indication right now that Williamson is unhappy and actively looking to leave New Orleans, but that could change in an instant.
That logic doesn’t only apply to Zion’s future, of course. At this time last year, we were opining if one Jaylen Brown would be a part of the Celtics’ long-term future after reportedly being dangled in a handful of trades over the years — most recently for Durant. Brown ultimately signed a max deal worth up to $304 million to remain in Boston through the 2028-29 season — that is, if he still wants to be here by then.
Right now, there isn’t much doubt. Brown and Tatum are clicking on a high level and playing some of their best basketball together. In fact, their near-matching triple-doubles in the win over the Pelicans — Tatum had 28 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists while Brown amassed 22 points, 11 boards and seven assists — may very well have been the duo’s most complete game across the board.
Any trade for Williamson today would most likely have to involve Brown. Furthermore, a big like Williamson would feel redundant with the emergence of Boston’s third star and big man Kristaps Porzingis (who, frankly, has been the team’s No. 2 star at points this season).
Right now, the Celtics are on the fast track to an NBA championship. There’s no logical reason to shake things up beyond bolstering the second unit before the trade deadline. Zion almost certainly won’t be walking through that door this season…
But the NBA is volatile. What is stable and working today may not be tenable tomorrow. Say the Celtics can’t get over the hump to raise “Banner 18” in the next couple of years and Brown grows tired of playing second fiddle to Tatum. Would flipping one All-NBA caliber player for another be all that crazy?
Brad Stevens has already shown a willingness to consider parting with Brown in the right deal. Being a good GM in today’s NBA requires giving yourself plenty of flexibility. You can plan for when a player will hit free agency, but you can’t predict when a star player might become available because of a souring situation. It also involves a willingness to roll the dice, something Stevens has shown he’s willing to do.
There are other factors to consider, too. Williamson’s health is certainly a valid concern, and big men tend to break down faster than most. His weight could be a concern, although from watching him play and seeing him in the locker room, I wouldn’t say he is “out of shape” as some suggest.
But Williamson is only 23 years old and four years younger than Brown. When Williamson is on the court and on his game, I don't think it's a stretch to say he has a higher ceiling than Brown. We are talking about a guy labeled a generational talent who was compared to LeBron James before being taken No. 1 overall in the 2019 draft, after all...
It would certainly be a risk — one that isn’t work taking right now. But give it a few years, and a veteran Tatum and a prime Williamson could easily be one of the best star duos in the league.
