A blockbuster trade proposal has the New Orleans Pelicans sending their franchise star to an Eastern Conference team.
Zion Williamson — the No. 1 selection of the 2019 NBA Draft — is one of the game’s most explosive scorers and game-changers when on the court. Unfortunately, injuries have limited him to just 114 NBA games up to this point. Williamson even missed the entire 2021-22 season recovering from a foot injury.
Williamson’s name has popped up in the NBA trade rumor mill aplenty in recent weeks, but there’s no firm indication that the Pelicans are actually shopping him. But if they go that route, the Pelicans would certainly receive a king’s ransom in return.
At NBA Analysis Network, James Piercey proposed a blockbuster trade idea that would see New Orleans land Gordon Hayward and the No. 3 selection of the 2023 NBA Draft from the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Williamson:
“The Pelicans do this deal for two reasons. Firstly, they’re tired of relying on Williamson, and secondly, they’re getting Scoot Henderson.
The first reason is defensible enough. Williamson is regularly hurt. At this point, any level of concern about him is valid. If the Pelicans want to move on, we couldn’t blame them.
Especially if they’re getting Scoot Henderson. For a long time, this was widely regarded as the second-best prospect in this draft. Henderson is a remarkable athlete with outstanding floor vision. If he reaches his ceiling, he could be a hybrid of Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul.”
Scoot Henderson is widely expected to be a top-three pick in this year’s draft. Victor Wembanyama, widely regarded as the best prospect since LeBron James, is a sure bet to go first overall to the San Antonio Spurs.
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On paper, this would be a nice return for the Pelicans if they were to deal Williamson. Henderson won’t go first overall ahead of Wembanyama, but he too is one of the best scoring prospects in recent memory.
The Hornets have been rebuilding for a while, but adding Williamson would bring a new feeling of hope to this long-suffering franchise. The trade also theoretically makes sense for Charlotte, but whether or not they’ll actually try to push for a Williamson trade is another story.
