NBA rumors: Pelicans have worked through trade scenarios for Zion Williamson

The New Orleans Pelicans have reportedly thought about what it would take to trade Zion Williamson. 

The Zion Williamson experience has been largely unpleasant for fans of the New Orleans Pelicans. The former No. 1 pick is an obvious talent — maybe one of the 10 best living basketball players at full strength. Therein lies the issue.

Williamson has played 114 games in four years. He missed all of 2021-22 with a foot injury; he played 24 games as a rookie, and 29 games last season. His 61-game sophomore campaign is by far the healthiest season of his career, and he still would have missed the NBA’s new threshold for awards voting.

According to Jake Madison of the Locked on Pelicans Podcast, the Zion roller coaster has led members of the front office to at least consider the possibility of one day trading Williamson.

New Orleans Pelicans have thought about trading Zion Williamson

“There are times when they feel very fed up with Zion,” said Madison. On top of the injuries, Williamson has clashed with members of the training staff and he doesn’t spend much time around the team during the offseason.

While the Pelicans have not actively tried to move Williamson, according to Madison, the front office has at least “worked through some trade scenarios” to figure out what the return might look like. Zion has repeatedly insisted his desire to stay with the Pelicans, but the rumors of him wanting to play elsewhere — perhaps in a bigger market like New York — have never ceased.

The Pelicans took a step backward last season. Finishing with the No. 9 seed, New Orleans lost the first play-in game to an even younger OKC team. Zion wasn’t the only Pelican to deal with injuries, but on paper, this team has more than enough talent and depth to contend. If Williamson continues to be unavailable — or worse yet, if he becomes an outright distraction — the team could be motivated to consider alternatives. Zion could also be the one to facilitate a trade if he doesn’t view New Orleans as a genuine winner.

Any half-decent front office is prepared for every possibility. The Pelicans aren’t the only team to hypothesize about what a trade centered on their franchise star would look like. That said, Williamson does feel like the potential next superstar to hit the trade block. New Orleans’ patience can only extend so far and an inflection point could be on the horizon with the new CBA forthcoming.

Williamson is due roughly $194 million over the next five years. He averaged 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.6 assists on .608/.368/.714 splits when healthy last season. The Pelicans have an absolute force of nature on their hands — a true, unequivocal superstar. It’s a matter of whether or not that superstar is available, or to take it one step further, whether or not that superstar is committed to being available.