Thunder, Knicks, Heat Linked To Zion Williamson Trade With Pelicans

One NBA writer believes New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson will be one of the next stars to be traded. Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report thinks the New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat are teams to watch for as possible landing spots for Williamson.

“If Williamson doesn’t suit up in at least 50 games this year—he’s played more than 29 contests in only one of his first four seasons—New Orleans may have no choice but to explore the trade market, trying to salvage what’s left of his value and add to an otherwise talented, young-ish core,” Swartz wrote in his NBA trade column. “Some team will talk its into Williamson’s potential, especially one that doesn’t face the same kind of win-now pressure as the Pelicans.

“Everyone should hope that Williamson can have a healthy season and regain his dominant form. However, that remains unlikely until proven otherwise. Expect New Orleans to give the Williamson experiment one more year, with a trade possibly coming next summer.”

There have been several questions about Williamson’s diet and commitment to basketball since he’s only played 114 out of a possible 308 regular-season games since being drafted by the Pelicans with the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Duke. Williamson played in 24 games in his rookie year and 61 games in his sophomore year. The lefty missed his entire third year and appeared in just 29 games last season.

The Pelicans were interested in trading up in the 2023 NBA Draft to select Scoot Henderson. There were rumors about New Orleans trading Williamson to the Portland Trail Blazers, who drafted Henderson. However, no deal was made.

Williamson averaged 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists last season. The two-time All-Star brought in medical experts to implement extensive evaluations of his body over the summer and craft the best plan to ensure he’s durable enough to last for an 82-game season, according to NBA insider Will Guillory of The Athletic.

Williamson, who signed a five-year, $194.3 million designated rookie contract extension in July 2022, has career NBA averages of 25.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists with the Pelicans. If he doesn’t stay healthy this season, Williamson could be on the move and some team will likely take a gamble by trading for him since he’s a special talent.