Bill Simmons on Zion Williamson: NBA Insider Says Pelicans Will Trade Star by Draft

Bradley Beal's trade to the Phoenix Suns has already sent the NBA offseason into a whirlwind. Zion Williamson might be the next major star moved.

"The Zion thing is a real, real, real subplot," The Ringer's Bill Simmons said on his podcast Sunday (55:25 mark). "I had somebody tell me yesterday that I trust that he will not be on [the New Orleans Pelicans] Thursday. I was like, 'Really? I haven't heard that.' And he was like, 'You watch.' So, there you go on that."

When it comes to Zion rumors, where there is smoke there is often fire. And the smoke is billowing at this point:

Williamson and the Pelicans have had an up-and-down time together since he was the top overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft. When healthy, the 22-year-old has been a force to be reckoned with, averaging 25.8 points, seven rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while shooting a whopping 60.5 percent from the field.

But he's rarely been healthy, with just 114 of a possible 328 games played in his four-year career. If availability is indeed the best availability, as the old cliche goes, Williamson has a huge strike against him.

Whether that leads to a trade remains to be seen. But there's suddenly a lot of whispers regarding the topic.