Zion Williamson Splits From CAA, Reveals Desire To Play With The New York Knicks

The New Orleans Pelicans center recently split from the Creative Artists Agency after reportedly not being able to play for the team of his choice.

NBA player Zion Williamson was supposed to be the next superstar of the NBA, with an expected career that was supposed to rival that of a young LeBron James, when the New Orleans Pelicans drafted him. Yet, another injury has sidelined his promising career once again. Outside of his latest injury, word has come out that the center has also split with the sports agency he has been with since debuting in the NBA, and it’s being speculated that part of it is because of Williamson’s desire to play with the New York Knicks before being drafted by the Pelicans.

According to Clutch Sports, sources have revealed that the recent split from the Creative Artists Agency was partly because they were unable to get him on the team he allegedly wanted to play on, the Knicks. He reportedly made this known to the agency before the Pelicans selected him, and he anticipated it could happen. Although that didn’t take place, he felt that the agency could make a trade to the New York team, and several years later, as he is still playing for the Pelicans, his wish to play his home games at Madison Square Garden has not happened.

That is one of the two reasons Williamson has decided to leave CAA.

Zion Williamson reportedly wanted to end up in New York, per @krispursiainen

“Even before the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery sealed Williamson’s fate as the Pelicans’ No. 1 overall pick, he had long made it clear to the agency that he wanted to play in New York. After beginning his… pic.twitter.com/eLOuAv6kis

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 23, 2024

Williamson also had an issue with the structure of his contract with the team. There are weight-related clauses incorporated in the agreement that the center has more recently gotten a better understanding of, which became part of his contention with CAA. Williamson signed a five-year, $197 million extension with the team in January 2022. The contract calls for certain weight benchmarks that he has to be under, so his contract will be guaranteed for the year. That pushed the center to want to be represented by another party.