Pelicans rumors: Zion Williamson’s lottery role makes for intriguing trade observation

While much of the focus in the NBA is still on the eight remaining teams in the playoffs, teams that missed out on the postseason take center stage on Monday night at the NBA Draft Lottery. This year, the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes will change the direction of the league for years to come. The New Orleans Pelicans have the fourth-best lottery odds, with a 12.5% chance to land the top pick in the draft.

It remains to be seen what direction the Pelicans want to go in this offseason after a frustrating year riddled with injuries. One avenue that has been floated is possibly trading star forward Zion Williamson, who has been very productive on the floor but cannot seem to stay healthy.

However, Williamson is going to be representing the Pelicans at the lottery, which could cast some doubt on the idea that he could be traded according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

“It was announced Monday that Zion Williamson will be the Pelicans’ on-stage representative in Monday night’s draft lottery,” Stein wrote. “One source close to the process concurred with my instant reaction to this news: That’s not the sort of role you ask a star player to take on if you’re looking to trade him.”

The Pelicans will be hoping that Williamson brings them some luck on Monday night and that New Orleans can land either Flagg, the likely No. 1 pick, or Rutgers star Dylan Harper, who is expected to go No. 2 overall. At the moment, that may be the Pelicans’ best chance of contending again soon in the Western Conference, and they are right at the top of the lottery board entering the event.

If New Orleans can pair one of those stars with Williamson and the former Duke star can finally stay healthy for an entire season, the Pelicans have a chance top thrust themselves back into contention in the Western Conference in 2025-26.