Zion Williamson is one of the NBA’s most confusing players.
Williamson has dealt with numerous injuries so far in his NBA career. As a result, he has yet to see much time on the court for the New Orleans Pelicans, who selected him first overall just four years ago.
Since sitting out of the play-in tournament and contributing to the end of the Pelicans season, the Pelican’s front office has to wonder, does Williamson want to be in New Orleans? Here are three valid trades that could send Williamson to a more desirable team.
Thunder receive- Zion Williamson.
Pelicans receive- Luguentz Dort, Dario Saric (sign+trade), 2025 first-round pick (via 76ers, top-6 protected), 2025 first-round pick, 2026 first-round pick (via Rockets, top 4 protected), 2027 first-round pick.
Let’s get the obvious trade out of the way first. The Oklahoma City Thunder, at this point, have enough draft capital to trade for any player they desire, so why not Zion?
Williamson, who’s only 22, fits the team’s timeline well. All-star point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was one of the oldest starters for the team this past season, and he’s only 24. As it stands now, the Thunder are the youngest team in the NBA.
Additionally, this trade could launch the Thunder from play-in hopefuls to top contenders in the NBA, that’s if Williamson can stay healthy, of course. A potential lineup of Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Jalen Williams, Williamson and Chet Holmgren sounds exceptionally frightening. This would be a team that would grow, learn, and win together.
This trade gives the Pelicans some versatility in what they decide to do next.
This trade could signal a full-on rebuild for the team, and they could trade away their final pieces of CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram away for even more assets to head into a rebuild. Let’s not forget those L.A. Lakers picks they still have from the Anthony Davis trade.
Or, they could keep the team together. A team of McCollum, Ingram, Dort and Jonas Valanciunas might not be enough to win an NBA championship. But it’s still enough to make some noise in the playoffs.
Knicks receive- Zion Williamson.
Pelicans receive- Julius Randle, 2024 first-round pick, 2025 first-round pick swap, 2026 first-round pick.
Two reunions in one trade? How sweet.
The Knicks have been great this season, but they don’t have a roster strong enough to compete with the juggernaut teams in the Eastern Conference. This trade would give them more leverage. In addition, this also pairs former Duke Blue Devils teammates R.J. Barrett and Williamson back together. These two greatly respect each other, meaning Williamson would fit right in with the team.
Williamson is also the perfect player to upgrade Randle from, as both players have similar playstyles and feature a similar build. Randle stands at 6’8” and Williamson at 6’6”, making them slightly undersized power forwards.
This trade would equally benefit the Pelicans just as much as the Knicks.
Although Randle is a downgrade in comparison to Williamson, Randle possesses an advantage Williamson does not have: staying healthy. Despite being injured the entirety of his rookie season, Randle has played at least 70 games in seven of his last eight seasons.
When Williamson was on the court for the Pelicans this season, they went 17-12. However, when you insert Randle into the lineup, the Pelicans could easily make a playoff appearance without going through the play-in tournament.
Additionally, the Pelicans would receive future draft compensation, allowing them to trade for another star if they so desired.
Nets receive- Zion Williamson.
Pelicans receive- Ben Simmons, 2025 first-round pick (via Suns), 2026 first-round pick (via Suns), 2029 first-round pick (via Suns), 2029 first-round pick.
This trade sees two former first-overall picks traded for one another. In addition, it sees a player more mysterious than Williamson traded for him.
For Brooklyn, this trade gives direction. After the 76ers eliminated them in the first round of the playoffs, it’s clear the roster needs some tuning up, or tuning down, not to be a mid-tier team in the NBA.
Additionally, they received most of the assets in this trade in previous trades where they dumped their big three in Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. This means the Nets won’t have to mortgage any more of their future away.
Furthermore, it’s not crazy to think that the Nets could pursue Williamson. As the Nets have been linked to a potential trade with the Portland Trail Blazers and Damian Lillard.
A duo of Williamson and Mikal Bridges could be tricky for teams to handle. Additionally, when you consider the other players on this Nets roster, this team adding Zion could threaten many of the top teams in the Eastern Conference heading into next season.
This trade gives the Pelicans versatility similar to the Thunder trade we explored.
A complete rebuild could be green-lit after this move, or they could move forward as a team with Ben Simmons on their side. While Simmons was disappointing this previous season, at least in comparison with what Simmons has done in the past, deep down, he’s still that player.
The Pelicans could potentially harness the old Ben Simmons; although that sounds crazy to a degree, let’s not forget how dominant Simmons was on both sides of the court in the 2018-19 NBA season.
Ultimately, Williamson’s injury-prone career has led to rumors about his commitment to the New Orleans Pelicans. Overall, it remains to be seen what will happen with Williamson’s career and where he will end up. Still, these trades could offer some exciting possibilities for both him and his new team.
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