Zion Williamson probably has had enough of the disrespect he received from the NBA community for his bulky physique. The Pelicans forward is on a quest to get his weight down from 285 lbs to 272 lbs. The preparation is in full swing in the preseason. Zion Williamson will be eager to show his fitter side to the US audience. But not so fast Zion, as Adam Silver has some other plans for the NOP. In the recently revealed NBA TV schedule, the Pelicans will have only 9 televised games. Adam Silver’s plans of keeping the Lakers and the Warriors in prime time led to the major disrespect and now the franchise has a $519 million remedy to that.

On Tuesday, the Pelicans signed a deal with Gray Media to enhance their broadcasting rights. A new channel, Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network is set to be launched by the partners’ television station WVUE (FOX 8 Local First) which will telecast every non-national Pelicans game. In a press release, Gray Media said the deal is “transformative” and will “bring every non-national Pelicans NBA game to 4.1 million households.” The new network will be available on various platforms to access, that must be a sigh of relief for Zion fans. “By moving the Pelicans games to Gulf Coast Sports & Entertainment Network, the team will be available to increase its reach by 16 times over the team’s reach through its previous distribution arrangement with a non-broadcast regional sports network,” the release stated.

As per Silver’s scheduling strategy, the Lakers will have 27 games broadcasted nationally, the Celtics will have one less and the Warriors will be featured in 24 games. This comes as no surprise as these organizations will attract the most views. But the plan undoubtedly made the Pelicans upset, as their fans will only get less than half of the number allotted to their rivals to watch their favorite team nationally. This wouldn’t have been the case in Zion’s initial years. The power forward’s presence was enough to boost the franchise’s viewership. However, his occasional injury issue keeps him from being in the bracket of players to be considered as the future faces of the league. But now that the Pelicans have solved their broadcasting issues, they will focus on making adjustments to their roster.

Zion Williamson’s potential new role at the New Orleans Pelicans

As the regular season approaches, the tension surrounding their center position keeps rising in the New Orleans Pelicans hood. They have newbie Yves Missi, Daniel Theis and Karlo Matkovic in the roster to fill that spot. However, their place in the starting lineup isn’t certain. This leaves them with their loyal ace, Zion Williamson.

But his injury issues have always been a concern. Last season, Zion marginally crossed the NBA’s 65-rule and appeared in 70 games.  His 22.9-point contribution per night helped the Pelicans to grab the seventh spot in the Western Conference table. His absence in the postseason tournament cost them a great deal. Now, with the roster lacking a starting caliber center, Zion can fit role. This gives Willie Green the opportunity to play CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray, Brandon Ingram, and Trey Murphy III together. With Ingram’s future in doubt and his recent absence from the training camp, the franchise might ship him out for a center. Who will that be if something like that happens? Only time will tell.