Is Zion Williamson the small market savior?

Superstars fled to metropolis’ en masse this offseason as players took control. Yet, Zion Williamson’s Pelicans for life’ declaration is welcome news for small markets like the OKC Thunder seeking to compete on an even playing field.

The 2019 NBA summer has born witness to one of the craziest offseasons ever. One after another top tier free agents exited their incumbent teams to join new squads. Many of those players left small markets to join the historic large earning markets like L.A. and New York. Initially, OKC Thunder fans sat watching the action until they got sideswiped on July 6th with news Paul George was traded to the L.A. Clippers.

That sent Thunder Nation reeling as prior to this point no one in OKC expected any massive free agent moves from OKC, nor was there an inkling a superstar would be departing. Shortly afterward, arguably the best rising talent on the team, Jerami Grant was traded to the Denver Nuggets.

And then the big shoe dropped as the face of the Thunder — Russell Westbrook was traded to the Houston Rockets. Odds are if the fanbase was polled prior to these trades most would’ve said Westbrook would be a lifer in OKC.

That option is becoming rarer and rarer given how the players are conducting business in this current NBA era. The stars specifically are making their choices in advance of their contracts coming due and deciding who they’ll align with.

Westbrook was likely just as blindsided as the fanbase was by the trade request and move of Paul George, but it didn’t take long for him to name the Rockets as his destination of choice or for James Harden to jump on top of the action to ensure the trade was expedited.