A blockbuster trade proposal has the New Orleans Pelicans sending their franchise star to a rebuilding club in the Eastern Conference.
Zion Williamson, the No. 1 selection of the 2019 NBA Draft, has been the subject of trade rumors since the team’s season-ending defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder in their play-in game back on Apr. 12.
At NBA Analysis Network, James Piercey proposed a mammoth trade idea that would see the Pelicans sending Williamson to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Ben Simmons and 2025, 2027, 2029 and 2030 first-round draft picks:
“This may not be a dream deal for Pelicans fans, either. If they’re moving Williamson, they’d prefer to be getting Scoot Henderson. Sure. What if that isn’t an option? If the Pelicans can’t flip Williamson for Henderson, should they consider moving Williamson anyway?
Well, let’s look at the Pelicans following this move. Frankly, if they’re losing faith in Williamson’s body, they may consider this to be a better situation than the one they’re currently in.
After all, they’ll still have Brandon Ingram. Moreover, the Pelicans would still have a platoon of intriguing young players like Trey Murphy III, Dyson Daniels, and Herb Jones. Meanwhile, they’d also have the most draft capital in the NBA outside of Oklahoma City. When you put two and two together, this is a solid deal for the Pelicans.”
The Nets do indeed have a king’s ransom of draft picks, courtesy of the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns, in the Kyrie Irving and Kevin Garnett trades, respectively.
Williamson has been one of the NBA’s most prolific scorers since entering the league, but injuries have unfortunately limited him to 114 games up to this point. He missed the entire 2021-22 season recovering from a foot injury.
But with plenty of draft capital, adding a player of Williamson’s caliber makes perfect sense for the Nets. The soon-to-be 23-year-old has averaged 25.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game in 114 games.
