Amid a disastrous 3-15 start to the season and a head coaching vacancy, the New Orleans Pelicans have to be considering a potential trade involving veteran power forward Zion Williamson.
Zion Williamson Has Dealt With Multiple Injuries
While Williamson was sidelined with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Tim Bontemps reported earlier this month that Williamson’s trade value across the league “isn’t super high.”
Over six NBA seasons since he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Williamson has appeared in 61 or more games just twice. He played in 30 games last season before the Pelicans shut him down last March due to a bone bruise in his back.
Williamson played 30 or fewer games in three seasons and missed the entirety of the 2021-22 campaign. He’s played in only 222 games since New Orleans drafted him.
However, three teams should be interested in the two-time All-Star wing.
When healthy, even if it’s rare, Williamson is one of the best forwards in the league. He averaged 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists in 30 games last season, while shooting 56.7% from the field and 65.6% from the foul line.
Utah Jazz
Utah finished last season with the youngest roster and tied with the Oklahoma City Thunder with nine players 23 years old or younger. The Jazz, however, also lost 60 games in a season for the first time in franchise history and have been unable to win three straight games since January 2024.
One player who could soon be on the move is Lauri Markkanen, who became the first Jazz player on Oct. 27 to reach the 50-point mark in a single game since Karl Malone scored 56 points in a win over the Golden State Warriors on April 7, 1998.
Per ESPN’s Stats & Information, the Jazz went 27 years and 203 days between 50-point games in the regular season, the fourth-longest span in NBA history.
If the Jazz are able to get multiple first-round picks in return for Markkanen, they should pursue a trade with the Pelicans for Williamson. The only question is, when will Utah finally make use of its first-rounders?
Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets need another star. That should go without saying. Yahoo Sports’ Kelly Iko reported last Thursday that LaMelo Ball has become “increasingly frustrated” with Charlotte and is open to a trade.
Ball, 24, responded to Iko’s report on X with a clown face emoji.
Speaking after Friday’s practice in preparation for Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers, the star point guard expanded on his reaction, denying Iko’s report and stating he doesn’t want to leave Charlotte.
“It didn’t come from me,” Ball told Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “The source wasn’t me, so it’s false info. Got to let them know. I really don’t like commenting on stuff, but it got too big. … I love being here.”
Simply put, the Hornets are not trading Ball.
Building around Ball and Brandon Miller should be the goal. A deal for Williamson to the Hornets could involve Williamson and Jose Alvarado for Miles Bridges, Tre Mann, and draft capital.
Brooklyn Nets
Brooklyn entered the offseason as the only team in the NBA to have at least $40 million in cap space. The Nets are still in desperate need of offensive playmakers, so Williamson could help fill that role. Since the team is only 3-14 and ranks 13th in the Eastern Conference standings, now might be the perfect time to make a big move.
The Nets could trade Nicolas Claxton, Cameron Johnson, and draft capital for Williamson, but not everyone would support that proposal. For one good reason: Claxton is averaging a career-high 14.1 points per game through 17 appearances this season.
More importantly, Claxton appeared in 70 games (62 starts) last season. Moving the seven-year veteran for Williamson seems like an unnecessary downgrade. If the Nets can find a way to add Williamson without trading Claxton, the team will be headed in the right direction.
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