Zion Williamson Trade Rumors: NBA Insider Believes Pelicans Should 'Pull the Plug'

Zion Williamson entered the NBA as a burning star seemingly ready to take over as one of the biggest faces of the sport.

Four years into his career, some believe the New Orleans Pelicans should wash their hands of the All-Star forward.

William Guillory of The Athletic reported "one person associated with a team" said they believe the Pelicans should "pull the plug" and trade Williamson while he still has value.

A superstar when he's been on the floor, Williamson has been limited to just 114 NBA games. He's played 30 games in a season just one time, dealing with injuries ranging from a meniscus tear to a fractured foot to a hamstring strain, the latter of which limited him to 29 games last season.

On top of the injuries, Williamson has faced consistent questions about his fitness and commitment to staying in shape. The Duke product admitted he's lacked discipline early in his career during an interview on Gilbert Arenas' podcast this month.

"It's hard, man," Williamson said of maintaining a diet to stay in shape. "I'm 20, 22, have all the money in the world—well, it feels like all the money in the world. It's hard.

"I'm at that point now, because of certain things, I'm putting back the wisdom around me. I don't want to say older because they get defensive, but I'm putting people around me with wisdom. Put me on game to certain things. And just go from there."

The Pelicans owe Williamson $197.2 million over the next five seasons, all of which is guaranteed. New Orleans notably did not include any injury-related fail safes to Williamson's contract in the way the Philadelphia 76ers did with Joel Embiid in 2017.

Embiid began his career similarly to Williamson, showing signs of superstardom but consistently failing to stay on the court. The Pelicans will hope Williamson follows a similar trajectory, as Embiid, despite not being a bastion of health, has managed to play 50-plus games in each of the last six seasons.

It's unclear what level of trade value Williamson would have around the league at the moment, but it's certainly not enough to justify trading him given his ceiling.