I want Zion to come back as much as anyone. If he does come back, I’d probably scream like a little kid in a toy store and do some uncoordinated middle aged white guy dance that makes Elaine look like Beyoncé.
Here’s why he won’t come back:
- It’s bad for his image and future earnings to bail out bc he doesn’t like his potential landing spot. He’d be forever hated in NO and other teams (not in NY or LA) would be weary of going after him bc he obviously has his sights set on a big city market. Any team that drafted him would have to assume it’s for only three years. Any team drafting #1 overall likely isn’t going to turn into a championship contender in 3 years.
- What are the chances NY, LA, or presumably Chicago gets the top pick next year? They’d have to tank (not happening in LA if Lebron is still there) and still have the same chance they had this year when they didn’t get the top spot.
- Injuries. Career ending injuries are less frequent in basketball, but not unheard of. Look what happened to the draft stocks of Bol Bol, Michael Porter, et al when they got injured in college.
-Now, barring a career ending injury, he’s likely going to make more money off endorsements than his first couple NBA contracts. He is also a humble kid that might not be as concerned with making $. But, the smart economic choice is to go pro now.
I would love nothing more than for him to come back, but the right decision (for him) is to go to NO for three years, act like he’s still considering resigning with NO when his rookie contract is up, then sign a max deal with the big market he wants to play in and act like it was a hard decision to make and thank NO fans for 3 great years.