NBA Trade Prediction Sends Zion Williamson to Possible Contender

"The Pelicans can no longer stand to be held hostage by Williamson's unavailability. Getting 24.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game is great, but not when it only happens 30 times per season. Williamson constantly shuffling in and out of the lineup will continue to take a toll on this organization."

The article continues, "Among those potential destinations, Detroit makes the most sense. The franchise that Dumars starred with for 14 years and later ran the front office for another 14 would be an ideal trade partner. No other front office leader knows Williamson as well as Langdon, either. New Orleans needs a fresh start. The Pistons need another star. It's time Williamson got a change of scenery."

Both organizations have plenty of familiarity within their front offices. Joe Dumars, who the Pelicans hired this offseason as the executive vice president of basketball operations, is a Pistons legend and was a top executive in Detroit for the last wave of dominant Pistons basketball in the early 2000s.

Detroit's current president of basketball operations, Trajan Langdon, was the Pelicans' general manager when the team drafted Zion Williamson with the No. 1 overall pick in 2019. Since then, Williamson has been marred by injury, missing 52% of the team's games. Many feel a fresh start could rejuvenate his career and the lofty expectations he had when drafted from the University of Duke.

Williamson has 2 years left on his current deal he signed in 2022, and the Pelicans are at a crossroads. New Orleans finished the season at 21-61, the second-worst record in franchise history, and traded away former all-star Brandon Ingram before the trade deadline. If the Pelicans move on from Williamson, the franchise will be in a full-blown rebuild mode.