NEW ORLEANS—Claiming it would be an honor to follow in the footsteps of players like Chris Paul and Anthony Davis, Zion Williamson told reporters Tuesday that he’s excited to play for a team with a proven history of frittering away generational talents. “It will honestly be surreal to step on a court where such great players have been wasted year after year. Nobody is better than New Orleans at throwing away a promising career, and now, it’s my turn,” said Williamson, noting that the Smoothie King Center was hallowed ground that has been the graveyard of so many all-time greats’ dreams. “I just know the Pelicans will be able to surround me with sub-par, mismatched teammates and a coaching staff that’ll definitely get fired within the next few years. It’s tough to deal with the uncertainty of the draft, so knowing I’m going to end up with such a consistently disappointing franchise is great. I know they will do everything they can to make me regret ever declaring early.” At press time, Williamson told reporters that he expected to set the franchise record for trade requests.

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