Zion Williamson Trade Rumors: Teams Have 'Significant Interest' as Value Restored

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson is reportedly opening some eyes across the NBA with his play since returning from injury.

Speaking Friday on Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective (beginning at the 38:45 mark), ESPN NBA insider Tim MacMahon said there are some teams in the league who would have "significant interest" in Williamson if the Pelicans were to make him available for trade during the offseason:

MacMahon also said the Pelicans' plan when Williamson was injured was to bring him back and "restore his value," which is something he has apparently done.

Regarding the possibility of trading Williamson, a rival NBA general manager suggested to ESPN's Brian Windhorst that they may not be able to get enough in return to make it worthwhile, saying:

"The question about the Pelicans is whether they would consider trading Zion. It hasn't really been an option over the last couple of years because he's been injured, and his value hasn't been high enough. Even now, I don't think they could get great value. So they will probably see if he can carry this play over into next year."

The 24-year-old Williamson missed 27 consecutive games from November to January due to a hamstring injury, but he has largely stayed healthy since then, playing in 22 out of a possible 31 games.

In those games, Zion is averaging 24.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.4 steals per contest while shooting 59.5 percent from the field.

Williamson was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft out of Duke, and although he is a two-time All-Star who is productive when healthy, staying on the court has been a massive challenge for him.

Over his six NBA seasons, Williamson has only reached the 60 games played mark twice, and he has often missed a ton of time, including the entire 2021-22 season, all but 24 games in 2019-20 and all but 29 games in 2022-23.

Despite his durability concerns, the Pelicans signed him to a five-year, $197.23 million extension in 2022, meaning he is under contract through the 2027-28 season.

If a team trades for Williamson during the offseason, they would be taking a major risk, but they would also be getting a young, supremely talented player who is under contract for three more seasons.

As one of the NBA's worst teams this season with an 18-49 record, the Pelicans could be staring another rebuild in the face, and the most important part of it would be the decision on what to do with Williamson.

Zion could net them the biggest return in a trade, but he is also a young player with a chance to truly blossom if he can stay healthy in New Orleans or elsewhere.

Because of that, Williamson's future could be one of the most intriguing storylines worth keeping an eye on this coming offseason.