The New Orleans Pelicans are reportedly open to at least considering a Zion Williamson trade. What would motivate them to get a deal done?
Zion Williamson has been frequently involved in trade chatter over the last couple of weeks as the New Orleans Pelicans look to potentially move into the top-3 on draft night. The Pelicans were without Williamson for the second half of last season and he has appeared in 114 games across four NBA seasons.
The former No. 1 pick is an undeniable talent. At his peak, Williamson is a borderline top-10 player — unstoppable in the paint and highly adept as a unique point-forward playmaking engine.
Despite all the injuries, he has two All-Star berths under his belt at 22 years old. Every team should have an interest in Zion.
Naturally, injury concerns and off-court distractions could limit the interest of certain teams. How reliable is Zion as a franchise cornerstone? Can he demand the same return value as other stars who have been dealt recently? It's a tricky equation to balance.
Generally, the NBA is a no-risk, no-reward league. If you can acquire a generational talent with five years left on his contract at 22 years old, it would be smart to kick the tires and give it the old college try. But there is unavoidable downside risk.
Here are three trades that at least make sense both ways if New Orleans is ready to turn over a new leaf.
No. 3 trade for Zion Williamson: Pacers for Bennedict Mathurin, No. 7 pick
The Pacers aren't being talked about enough as a team with significant trade capital and an imminent desire to compete. Tyrese Haliburton made his first All-Star appearance last season and looks the part of a franchise centerpiece, Myles Turner signed a new extension, and Rick Carlisle is one of the best head coaches in the league.
Indiana is giving up a fair amount here. Bennedict Mathurin was first-team All-Rookie and fits sublimely next to Haliburton as a slashing wing who can put pressure on the rim and create his own shot. Buddy Hield is a nifty trade chip due to his expiring contract and elite 3-point stroke. Jordan Nwora is another young wing with untapped talent. Plus, two first-round picks — one already situated in the mid-lottery.
Is Zion really worth it? The same Zion who has only played over 30 games in an NBA season once in four years?
The answer is unequivocally yes. Again, Zion at his peak is a top-10 player. He is the most dominant, efficient interior scorer in the league. Defenses do not respect his 3-point shot but it has very little impact on his ability to zip inside and dance around defenders for easy finishes. His ability to change speed and direction at his size, with his power, is unheard of.
Zion is dominant driving downhill and putting pressure on the rim. It's hard to imagine a more perfect co-star than Haliburton, who can set up Williamson out of pick-and-rolls or float off the ball and bomb 3s while supplying connective playmaking. Turner can clean up some of Williamson's mistakes on defense and there's still enough wing depth with Chris Duarte, Naji Marshall, and Andrew Nembhard to think the Pacers are cooking with grease.
No. 2 trade for Zion Williamson: Thunder for Josh Giddey and draft picks
OKC has the unique privilege of owning every draft pick (roughly) over the next six years. The Thunder can afford to trade an exorbitant number of picks to acquire Williamson while still maintaining more than enough picks to swing another major trade or two if the front office sees fit.
And hey, this is why Sam Presti and the front office acquired all these picks. The Thunder cannot feasibly use all of them. At some point, the rebuild shifts into the next gear and OKC starts looking to contend. The Thunder were one win away from the playoffs last season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander snuck onto a few MVP ballots. Now is the time to start thinking about the present.
There is obvious risk tied to Zion's injury history and general apathy for the small-market city of New Orleans, but the Thunder have a prime opportunity here to acquire a 22-year-old superstar talent under team control for the next five years. OKC has cap flexibility, a roster good enough to win now, and Williamson is still young enough to fit the timeline.
Breaking up the backcourt of Josh Giddey and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would be tough to stomach for OKC fans, but Williamson's first breathtaking foray down the lane should make them forget all about the skillful Aussie. Williamson can put pressure on the rim and wreak havoc in the middle of the floor. Meanwhile, Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the best rim-scoring guards in the NBA and a maestro of late-clock shot-making.
OKC could conceivably walk away from this trade with two MVP candidates. Williamson has to stay healthy enough to one day compete for MVP, but he's that caliber of player. So is Gilgeous-Alexander.
Plus the Thunder have Jalen Williams, the reigning Rookie of the Year runner-up, and Chet Holmgren, the reigning No. 2 overall pick, to round out their young core. Both are versatile offensive players. Holmgren has Defensive Player of the Year potential down the road. This OKC team would be frightening to behold at full strength.
For the Pelicans, it's a nice soft reset with even more draft picks for GM David Griffin, who shares Sam Presti's affinity for future investments. Brandon Ingram and Josh Giddey form a fascinating duo of tall playmakers to spearhead the offense; Giddey already proved he can dominate the play-in tournament against the Pelicans. They wouldn't mind him switching sides. As for Dort, his on-ball defense combined with Herb Jones' off-ball defense would make the Pelicans very hard to score on.
No. 1 trade for Zion Williamson: Hornets for No. 2 pick
The Pelicans have rumored interest in G-League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson, who is a strong candidate to come off the board with the No. 2 overall pick in Thursday's NBA Draft. Teams expect the Pelicans to trade Williamson before then, according to Bill Simmons. It's not hard to connect the dots with Charlotte.
Even with owner Michael Jordan on his way out the door, it's impossible to ignore his influence over the franchise. He will oversee team operations through draft night and he's still a massive figure in the Charlotte sports world, which is not a sentence anyone would have anticipated two decades ago.
Zion is a Jordan Brand athlete and, frankly, he's also just a damn good basketball player. The Hornets have been stuck in purgatory forever and have a shaky-at-best track record in the NBA Draft, with the glaring exception of LaMelo Ball. The Hornets have the chance to add another franchise talent with the No. 2 pick, but Williamson's ceiling is arguably untouchable.
If he can just stay healthy and motivated, Williamson has a legitimate Best Player in the World upside. It's getting more and more difficult to visualize the path to that level of stardom, but even the present version of Williamson can single-handedly elevate Charlotte into the postseason mix in the very winnable Eastern Conference.
For many of the same reasons that make Haliburton and Indiana such a prime fit, LaMelo Ball is the perfect Zion Williamson co-star. He's not ball-dominant, but he's a genius playmaker who keeps the ball popping and who is more than comfortable bombing deep 3s on the perimeter. His ability to orchestrate and connect dots while Williamson battery-rams his way to the rim would make Charlotte one of the best offenses in the NBA.
The Pelicans get a very safe All-Star bet in Scoot, who would have been the No. 1 pick in last year's draft in this writer's book. Gordon Hayward is one big expiring contract. Mark Williams looks the part of a rotational big, something the Pelicans could use, and Kai Jones has untapped upside as a mobile 7-footer with shooting touch.