After a busy week involving multiple pieces of the New Orleans Pelicans organization, fans are left wondering what to think of the team’s front office. Guard Lonzo Ball has said he is happy he was not traded during the deadline and that he wanted to be here. The recently traded JJ Redick does not feel the same way as his former teammate.
JJ Redick’s Issues with the Team
Redick went into detail on his podcast, The Old Man and the Three, about his trade requests with the front office not being met. He mentions that he had a conversation with Executive VP David Griffin prior to the season about wanting to be traded to a Northeast team to be closer to his family. In an article by Andrew Lopez on ESPN.com, he quotes Redick: “I talked to Griff. I talked to Trajan. Griff basically says to me, ‘Come down for a month. If you still want to be traded, I give you my word, I’ll get you to a situation that you like.” Redick was traded to the Dallas Mavericks on the day of the trade deadline, which was not one of the teams he had mentioned. He went on to say, “I don’t think you’re going to get honesty from that front office, just objectively speaking. That’s not an opinion — I just don’t think you’re going to get that. I don’t think what happened with me is necessarily an isolated incident either.”
Redick did mention that he felt like he may have been a little naïve in thinking that he had that sort of say in where he went, but he did not hold back expressing his grievances with the Pelicans.
Lonzo Ball’s Wants
Around the same time JJ Redick released his podcast talking about how he did not like how he was treated by the front office, Lonzo Ball did a press conference stating the exact opposite. In an article by CBS Sports, he is quoted as saying, “I’m happy to be here. It was a long day. But overall, I ended up not getting moved and staying here, where I wanted to be. So it all worked out how it was supposed to.” This was a breath of fresh air for Pelicans fans as this broke around the same time as they were being bombarded by former guard JJ Redick. Ball has been vocal in saying that he believes the trio of himself, Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram can create something special in New Orleans. Ball will be a restricted free agent this offseason, meaning the Pelicans can match any offer sheet he is given from other teams.
What the Team Can Become
So where do the Pelicans stand in the eyes of the players as well as the future prospects? Much of that depends on the moves the team makes this offseason. Zion Williamson has said he believes this team can become something special if it stays together, so the ball is now in Griffin’s court.
___
Greatest is only achieved through hard work and dedication to one’s craft, which is why players like Zion Williamson work hard every day on their game. Just like Zion, twitch streamers are working hard every day as well. From the best twitch streamers to small twitch streamers and from the big brands to female streamers, the hard work doesn’t change or waver.
