Zion Williamson plans to sign an extension with the New Orleans Pelicans this offseason if he's offered it by the franchise.

"Of course," Williamson said. "I couldn't sign it fast enough."

Williamson is eligible to sign a five-year, $181 million max rookie extension this summer. The deal could be elevated should Williamson make an All-NBA team in 2023.

Williamson started playing 5-on-5 with teammates and coaches late in the season and into New Orleans' playoff run. Williamson was never cleared to play actual games as a decision was collectively made to prioritize his long-term health.

CJ McCollum has been with the New Orleans Pelicans for less than three months, but he is already fully committed to the franchise.

“I’m not going nowhere. I’m here,” McCollum recently told Andscape. “Where am I going to go? Leave for what? I want to retire here. I’m 30 years old and I have a son who is 13 weeks old. I’m married. When you have something good, you hold on to it. This is something fun for both sides. We’re going to grow. I’m still learning the city. I’m going to find a house.”

McCollum and the Pelicans reached the playoffs out of the Play-In despite not having Zion Williamson in the lineup.

McCollum will be eligible for a three-year contract extension on August 9th.

"I can’t say anything about that," said McCollum. "We haven’t talked yet. I haven’t talked to upper management. But I told my wife before I left [Portland] that ‘Wherever I go, I want to finish my career. New Orleans is on the list of places I would like to finish my career.’ I told my agent that. I’m not about bouncing around. I don’t go through free agency. I’ve been in the league nine years. Have you ever seen me be a free agent?

"When I’m committed to something, I’m committed to it. New Orleans, in my mind, I’m finishing my career here. That is how I devote myself to a city, things and people."

The Round 1 matchup between the Suns and Pelicans puts two of the best stories this NBA season against one another. Phoenix shook off its NBA Finals loss from a season ago and has been the favorites all year, while the Pelicans shook off a 1-12 start and won two play-in games to make the postseason—all without Zion Williamson. While this will likely be a short series, it won’t be short on entertainment thanks to the talent on both sides.

Ahead of Game 1, Bookies.com breaks down the series and makes our NBA picks to back on sports betting sites.

Suns vs Pelicans Odds

Odds via DraftKings and accurate as of publication.

Suns vs Pelicans Betting Tips

Suns Are as Balanced as It Gets: Phoenix is the only team in the NBA with a top-8 offense and defense, and the Suns are 5th in offense and 3rd in defense. They’re not just title contenders—they’re the easy favorite.

An NBA-best 32-9 home record, an NBA-best 32-9 road record (and the fifth best of all-time!), and an NBA-best +7.5 net rating. With Chris Paul healthy, this is the best and most balanced team from top to bottom in the NBA.

Might We See Zion Williamson? The Suns are going to win the series. Let’s be clear about that. But a return of Zion Williamson, who has been out all season with a foot injury, would bring a ton of intrigue.

Suddenly the Pelicans are looking at a core of Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Williamson, and Jonas Valanciunas. Not awful. And maybe enough to steal one or two games. It’s unlikely Zion sees the court, but how fun would it be?

Hammer That Under: Sports betting apps will take it into account, but the Pelicans loved the under this season. Including the play-in games, the under has hit in 50 of the Pellies’ 84 games. That’s the second most unders in the league.

Phoenix was split right down the middle on over-unders at 41-41, but New Orleans is going to try to slow these games down to have a shot. We think the unders are a great play here.

Suns vs Pelicans Picks

New Orleans is an incredible story. A 1-12 start. A first-year head coach. No Zion Williamson all season. And yet, here they are. Unfortunately they’ve run into a buzzsaw in the Phoenix Suns, who are rested and motivated.

We think there’s a shot the Pelicans steal a game in New Orleans, but realistically we like the NBA odds that the Suns in four give us. This will be a sweep.

Suns vs Pelicans Schedule

Game 1: April 17, New Orleans at Phoenix, 9:00 p.m. ET, TNT

Game 2: April 19, New Orleans at Phoenix, 10:00 p.m ET, TNT

Game 3: April 22, Phoenix at New Orleans, 9:30 p.m ET, ESPN

Game 4: April 24, Phoenix at New Orleans, 9:30 p.m ET., TNT

Game 5-7: TBD if necessary

One of the side effects of the Play-In Tournament was the major impact it had on the 2022 NBA Draft board. This season, multiple teams saw their 2022 draft pick situation change based on the results of the Play-In Tournament.

With the Cleveland Cavaliers loss to the Atlanta Hawks, their pick went from being tied for 16/17 to 14. That pick was lottery-protected, so Cleveland will now keep the pick vs delivering it to the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers can receive a first-round selection from the Cavs next season, but it is also lottery-protected. It turns into two second-round picks if not conveyed in 2023.

The New Orleans Pelicans victory over the LA Clippers had an even bigger impact to the draft board. The Pelicans pick went from 11 to 15. That changed who New Orleans conveys that pick to from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Charlotte Hornets. Portland will now receive a top-4 protected Milwaukee Bucks (via New Orleans) in 2025.

The Clippers dropping into the lottery gave the Oklahoma City Thunder a second lottery selection. That pick is also non-protected. It's important to remember that LA once conveyed the first overall selection to Cleveland when they jumped to the top of the draft lottery.

The full pre-lottery first round order is:

1. Houston Rockets
2. Orlando Magic
3. Detroit Pistons
4. Oklahoma City Thunder
5. Indiana Pacers
6. Portland Trail Blazers
7. Sacramento Kings
8. New Orleans Pelicans (via Los Angeles Lakers)
9. San Antonio Spurs
10. Washington Wizards
11. New York Knicks
12. Oklahoma City Thunder (via LA Clippers)
13. Charlotte Hornets
14. Cleveland Cavaliers
15. Charlotte Hornets (via New Orleans Pelicans)
16. Atlanta Hawks
17. Houston Rockets (via Brooklyn Nets)
18. Chicago Bulls/Minnesota Timberwolves
19. Chicago Bulls/Minnesota Timberwolves
20. Denver Nuggets/San Antonio Spurs (via Toronto Raptors)
21. Denver Nuggets/San Antonio Spurs (via Toronto Raptors)
22. Memphis Grizzlies (via Utah Jazz)
23. Milwaukee Bucks/Philadelphia 76ers (or Brooklyn Nets)/San Antonio Spurs (via Boston Celtics)
24. Milwaukee Bucks/Philadelphia 76ers (or Brooklyn Nets)/San Antonio Spurs (via Boston Celtics)
25. Milwaukee Bucks/Philadelphia 76ers (or Brooklyn Nets)/San Antonio Spurs (via Boston Celtics)
26. Dallas Mavericks
27. Golden State Warriors/Miami Heat
28. Golden State Warriors/Miami Heat
29. Memphis Grizzlies
30. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Phoenix Suns)

Ties will be broken by random drawing on Monday, April 18.

The Brooklyn Nets can receive the Philadelphia 76ers first-round selection, or Brooklyn can defer to receiving that pick at the 2023 draft instead.

The New Orleans Pelicans have been playing pretty good basketball since acquiring C.J. McCollum. McCollum can feel that energy building around his still-new team.

"This is the start of something special, for sure," McCollum said. "You see the energy. Feel the energy. My mother is in town; I have some family in town. When we go out to eat, you can feel the city is excited about basketball, as they should [be]. There's a lot of talent here. We're playing the game the right way. It's going to be a lot of winning in our future."

McCollum led the Pelicans past the Spurs in the Play-In Tournament with 32 points. New Orleans will now play at the LA Clippers for a chance to be the 8-seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

Zion Williamson has not been ruled out for the entire season, but the New Orleans Pelicans have revealed to Cassidy Hubbarth that "a return to play is not imminent."

There is "no chance" Williamson would not play in a possible play-in against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, or even in a first round series against the Phoenix Suns. 

Williamson is playing in controlled five-on-five scrimmages, but it out indefinitely. 

The Pelicans will judge Williamson's recovery based on how he is ready for training camp next season.

The 2022 NBA Play-In Tournament field has been set.

Eastern Conference:

7 vs 8 game - Cleveland Cavaliers at Brooklyn Nets - Tuesday

9 vs 10 game - Charlotte Hornets at Atlanta Hawks - Wednesday

Winner of 7 vs 8 will be the 7-seed. Loser will host the Winner of 9 vs 10 on Friday. The winner of that game will be the 8-seed.

Western Conference:

7 vs 8 game - LA Clippers at Minnesota Timberwolves - Tuesday

9 vs 10 game - San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Pelicans - Wednesday

Winner of 7 vs 8 will be the 7-seed. Loser will host the Winner of 9 vs 10 on Friday. The winner of that game will be the 8-seed.

Zion Williamson's stepfather, Lee Anderson, said he expects Williamson to return to play this season, but acknowledged that it is a decision that will be made with the medical staff of the New Orleans Pelicans. 

The Pelicans will be in the play-in tournament as Williamson continues his rehab from a broken foot.

Anderson made the comments on Tuesday to "The Jordy Culotta Show," an online show based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

"I expect him to play. If you were to ask Zion, I'm sure he would probably say the same thing," Anderson said. "But with just a couple of games left, with the magnitude of what's going on in New Orleans and the opportunity to qualify for the play-in game and possibly get into a seven-game series, that would be off the charts in the city of New Orleans. That would be a plus in New Orleans. That would be a plus for Zion with the way things are right now."

"Do I expect him to play? Certainly I do. That's on me though. That's purely me. I don't think there's anything else that would hinder him from doing that right now."

Williamson has been cleared by the Pelicans to do 1-on-1 work as he continues his rehab. 

"He's feeling great," Anderson said. "Speaking for the Pelicans staff, and not saying any names, they mentioned to me that they are just one player away from being where we need to be at. That was enough for me to know that they are putting some stock in Zion getting healthy and being ready for the long haul.

"But my thing with the long haul, you have to wait on it. The short haul, sometimes when you're faced with an opportunity right now, you never know when you're going to be presented with that opportunity again in the long haul or how long it'll be from that time. I'm a guy that believes in taking advantage of the moment at hand. Let's deal with it right now and let's go forward and see what happens."