Windhorst: Zion Williamson's Trade Availability Eyed by Insiders amid Pelicans Rumors
There is reportedly some thought within the NBA that the New Orleans Pelicans may make All-Star forward Zion Williamson available in a trade this offseason.
Appearing Wednesday on Get Up, ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst said the Pels have had "cursory discussions" about moving into the top five in the 2023 NBA draft in an effort to land a potential star such as guard Scoot Henderson.
While the Pelicans reportedly haven't made any concrete offer, nor have they officially made Williamson available, Windhorst said there is "an eye being kept" on the possibility of New Orleans using Zion to land a top-five pick.
Injuries have ravaged Williamson's NBA career thus far, limiting him to 114 games over four seasons.
The No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft has played in fewer than 30 games in three of his four campaigns, including 2021-22 when he missed the entire year with a foot injury and last season when a hamstring injury was primarily responsible for limiting him to 29 games.
When healthy, Zion was a force last season, averaging 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game, earning him his second career All-Star selection.
The closest Williamson has come to playing a full season was in 2020-21 when he appeared in a career-high 61 games. He averaged 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists en route to his first All-Star nod.
Williamson, who will be 23 when the 2023-24 season begins, missed the final three months of the 2022-23 campaign, including New Orleans' loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the play-in tournament.
Despite his lack of availability, the Pelicans signed Williamson to a five-year, $194.3 million contract extension last year, meaning they desperately need him to be healthy and productive.
Trading him could be one way to avoid the risk, but it is unclear if any teams are willing to trade much for an injury-prone player with such a robust contract.
Even without Zion, the Pelicans boast a supremely talented roster headlined by Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Jonas Valančiūnas, Trey Murphy III, Herbert Jones and others.
Adding a healthy Williamson or another star to the mix would likely take the Pels from being a fringe playoff team to a legitimate contender in the Western Conference, which may be why New Orleans is at least mulling the idea of parlaying Zion into a more reliable player.
If the Pelicans want Henderson, they would likely need to get up to the No. 2 or 3 pick from No. 14, meaning the Charlotte Hornets or Portland Trail Blazers would have to have legitimate interest in Zion.
Even if it doesn't happen, a potential Williamson trade is a huge storyline worth following ahead of next week's draft, as such a move could shift the league balance in a significant way.
