NBA Notes: Pelicans, Zion Williamson, Raptors, Rockets

Pelicans

Zion Williamson said he’s ready to take off after missing all of last season with a foot injury, then signing a rookie-scale max contract extension last week.

 “I want to prove that I’m a winner,” Williamson said, via Andrew Lopez of ESPN. “It’s as simple as that. I want to win with coach. As well as with my teammates. The ultimate goal is to win the championship. I feel like that’s what we’re all striving for. Like Griff (Executive VP of basketball operations David Griffin) said, we’re hungry. Y’all saw this past year what the team did and I’m just excited to add to that.”

With the likes of Williamson, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum, the Pelicans could be a darkhorse in the West next season, added coach Willie Green.

 “Now it’s going to take work to get there,” Green said. “What groups play well together? How can we take advantage of different mismatches? How can we put all of our guys on the floor and give them an opportunity to be successful? That takes work. But it all comes together at some point throughout the course of the season, and when it does I think we can be a scary team.”

Raptors

Forward Otto Porter Jr. said Toronto is precisely where he wanted to be after leaving the Warriors in free agency.

“This is definitely a place I wanted to go to,” he said, via Aaron Rose of SI.com. “My wife is from here, it’s just a lot easier for the family. A great organization, a great team, young team that has aspirations to get back to the top.

“Winning a championship last year in Golden State, I feel like I can bring that experience here to help the younger guys out.”

Porter averaged 8.2 points last season and shot 42 percent on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers. The Raptors were just 37 percent as a team last season.

“It’s key to today’s NBA, spacing the floor. And I was able to do that in Golden State and help space the floor for guys to penetrate and get to the rim,” Porter said. “Hopefully I can bring that here, where (Fred VanVleet) can get downhill more, (Pascal Siakam) can have more room to operate, (Scottie Barnes) have more room to operate. And to bring defensive pressure on the ball, pretty much switch one through five, and that’s huge.”

• As expected, the Raptors have signed center Chris Boucher to a three-year contract, the team announced in a press release. Agent agent Sam Permut told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski the deal was for $35.25 million.
• The Raptors are unwilling to part with Barnes in trade talks for Nets star Kevin Durant, Rose relayed. In fact, the Raptors are keeping Barnes off the market entirely, per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

Rockets

• The Rockets came close to trading veteran guard Eric Gordon to the 76ers on draft night, but the deal fell apart, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic. The Bucks, Suns and Heat also showed an interest in Gordon, Iko reported.
• Meanwhile, the Lakers have recently talked to the Rockets about a Gordon trade, as we relayed here. But it seems as if everything is in hold until the Lakers can figure out if they can strike a deal with the Nets for Kyrie Irving.
• Houston is in no rush to trade forward Kenyon Martin Jr., Iko reported. But Martin may need to “need to mend some internal relationships” if a trade doesn’t happen, Iko added.
• Finally, the Rockets still want to add another big man, Iko wrote. That’s the case even if they hang on to Boban Marjanovic, acquired in the Christian Wood trade with the Mavericks.