Can Zion Williamson control his destination now?

There never was a time when it made financial sense for a star player to bypass a maximum extension or contract for the qualifying offer and it still doesn’t. In fact, the practice isn’t even common around average players just so they can enter unrestricted free agency and play elsewhere.

Since restricted free agency has been implemented, there have been few cases of players demanding trades from teams that drafted them, namely Steve Francis with the Vancouver Grizzlies and Danny Ferry with the Los Angeles Clippers. However, with the value of qualifying offers increasing significantly, and player empowerment breaking new barriers each season, it’s no surprise that public discourse over the possibility of a premier player utilizing the qualifying offer has gotten louder.

According to a report from The Athletic, Zion Williamson and his family are unhappy with the New Orleans Pelicans and some family members want him on another team. Could Williamson follow through and use the qualifying offer to leave in 2024 or the threat of using it to get traded beforehand? It’s possible, but there are a lot of risks involved and the threat may not be as viable for a player with as much money on the line as him.