Zion Williamson Talks Pelicans Future amid Trade Rumors After 2025-26 NBA Season

Zion Williamson has been with the New Orleans Pelicans his entire NBA career, and he doesn't want that to change.

"New Orleans is home for me," he told reporters Monday. "A lot of guys, when the offseason hits, a lot of guys leave the city. I live here. I stay here in the city. I go out. I do different things to try to get to know the city better. This is home for me. I have been here since I was 19 years old."

Most notably, he also said, "I do want to be here long term. As far as extension talks, there's not anything that can really be brought up at this moment. That's more of the business side of it. If the team wants me here, then yeah, this is where I want to be. This is home."

The comments echoed those he made to Yaron Weitzman of Yahoo Sports earlier this month when he called New Orleans "home" and "where I want to be."

However, he also told Weitzman, "at the end of the day, if we're going to be realistic about it, the NBA is a business. I could be traded in the offseason, or I could be traded before [next season's] trade deadline."

Weitzman reported Williamson's camp received no indication he was going to be traded.

Moving him might be easier said than done even if the Pelicans' front office wanted to do so. After all, he has a cap hit of $42.2 million for 2026-27 and $44.9 million for 2027-28, which would be a significant amount of money for any potential suitor to take on for someone who has dealt with injury problems for much of his career.

The Duke product was limited to 24 games as a rookie in 2019-20 and has played more than 62 games just once in his career. He missed the entire 2021-22 campaign and appeared in just 30 games in 2024-25.

However, he played 62 this season and averaged 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 60 percent from the field.

Zion Williamson with the Dunk

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The Pelicans surely envisioned Williamson as their franchise cornerstone when they selected him with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2019 NBA draft, but the injuries have led to inconsistent production and questions about his overall future.

If he can remain healthy, there is no doubting his overall talent. He is also still just 25 years old and could be an important part of their future.

Throw in a desire to remain with the team, and there is plenty to like about Williamson in New Orleans. To hear him tell it, he wants to continue building with the team in 2026-27 and beyond.