Under Armour CEO: We Must Be Smart with Money in Zion Williamson Sweepstakes

Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank commented Friday on the company's pursuit of potential No. 1 overall 2019 NBA draft pick Zion Williamson.

According to Darren Rovell of The Action Network, Plank appeared on CNBC and said: "We have to be smart and thoughtful about how we play moneyball and how we deploy the dollars."

Williamson figures to be wooed by many of the top shoe and apparel companies after a dominant freshman season at Duke that is likely to culminate in a Naismith National College Player of the Year award.

In 33 games, Williamson shot 68.0 percent from the field and averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks. Despite his remarkable level of play, the Blue Devils fell to the Michigan State Spartans in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament.

Aside from that loss, the one big negative in Williamson's season was the fact that he missed nearly a month after suffering a knee sprain during the first minute of a February loss to North Carolina.

The injury occurred when Williamson's Nike shoe exploded while he was making a cut:

Williamson eventually managed to return to the court and lead Duke to an ACC tournament title, but the circumstances of his injury led to speculation that Nike may have hurt its chances of landing an endorsement deal with him.

On Thursday's episode of ESPN's The Jump, Nick DePaula said there are currently seven brands in the running to bid on Williamson, and one company is willing to offer $10 million per year:

If Under Armour wants to land Williamson, it may not have the luxury of being "smart and thoughtful" with its money as Plank mentioned.

Under Armour has a growing stable of NBA players under its umbrella, led by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid.

If Under Armour can add Williamson to that group, it will have three of the NBA's biggest stars at its disposal provided Williamson lives up to the hype.