A massive trade proposal has the New Orleans Pelicans sending Zion Williams to a Southwest Division rival.
The No. 1 selection of the 2019 NBA Draft has been the subject of recent trade rumors, though the Pelicans’ organization hasn’t outright stated that they’re shopping Williamson. But if the right offer comes along, might the Pelicans agree to trade their franchise star, who’s been limited to just 114 games over his first four seasons?
At NBA Analysis Network, James Piercey proposed a massive trade that has the Pelicans dealing Williamson to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Doug McDermott, Keldon Johnson and 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027 first-round draft picks:
“He’s about to enter his fifth NBA season. He’s played a combined 114 games over his first four years. That’s about a season and a half. Could you blame the Pelicans for growing tired of his injuries?
Perhaps that’s why it’s being reported that Williamson could be available “for the right price”. Of course, in theory, any player is available for the right price. Is this the right price for Williamson?
We think so. Johnson is a young player with some star potential. Throw in four unprotected first-round picks, and this should be enough to motivate the Pelicans to move on from their star forward.”
In such a scenario, Williamson would be teaming up with generational prospect Victor Wembanyama, whom San Antonio selected with the top pick in this year’s draft. A healthy Williamson and Wembanyama would immediately turn the Spurs back into the perennial contender that dominated the NBA landscape from 1999 to 2017.
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Even though Williamson was limited to 29 games last year (he missed all of 2021-22 with a foot injury), the Pelicans finished above. 500 (42-40) to qualify for the play-in tournament. Without Williamson, they lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder 123-118.
So there’s a strong case to be made that New Orleans is better off trading Williamson. They’ve been competitive without him, and getting multiple valuable assets in such a trade could help them emerge as a perennial playoff contender in the stacked Western Conference.
