NBA Trade Idea Pairs Zion Williamson With $203 Million All-Star
The New Orleans Pelicans have a new president of basketball operations and he may have to trade Zion Williamson this summer.
According to NBA insider Shamit Dua, Pelicans ownership will mandate Joe Dumars to trade Williamson. Dumars is finalizing a deal to become the new president of basketball operations in New Orleans, who fired David Griffin on Monday.
Williamson has played in only 45% of his possible games with the Pelicans since being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. The Duke product has never played in a playoff game.
If Dumars does trade Williamson, one NBA analyst believes an Eastern Conference team should trade for the lefty.
Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report proposed that the Charlotte Hornets trade Miles Bridges, Tidjane Salaün, a 2026 first-round pick and a 2028 first-round pick to the Pelicans for Williamson.
Charlotte is led by LaMelo Ball, who signed a $203 million contract in 2023. The point guard made the All-Star team in 2022 and won the 2021 Rookie of the Year Award.
"The idea of a LaMelo Ball-Zion two-man game is enticing," Bailey wrote. "The lobs would be electrifying. And Ball's mega-high-volume outside shooting would be a solid complement to Williamson's ability to dominate the paint. Assuming decent health (a bold assumption for both Zion and LaMelo, to be sure), a team with those two, Brandon Miller and Mark Williams could be pushing for the playoffs or play-in as early as 2025-26."
Williamson started 30 games for the Pelicans this season. He averaged 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists while shooting 56.7% from the field and 65.6% from the free-throw line while registering a player efficiency rating of 27.3.
A two-time All-Star, Williamson has career averages of 24.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 214 NBA games. The most games he's played in a season are 70. That took place in 2023-24.
The Pelicans, who finished this season with the second-worst record in the West, signed Williamson to a five-year, $197 million extension in 2022. Williamson will make $39.4 million next season.
