Zion Williamson addresses Pelicans trade rumors

Zion Williamson’s future with the New Orleans Pelicans remains in question, and the former No. 1 overall pick is coming to terms with that.

Williamson admitted his preference would be to stay in New Orleans, but acknowledged that the NBA is a business and cannot be certain whether he will be back with the team next year.

“New Orleans is home for me. It’s where I want to be,” Williamson said, via Yaron Weitzman of Yahoo Sports. “But at the end of the day, if we’re going to be realistic about it, the NBA is a business. I could be traded in the offseason, or I could be traded before [next season’s] trade deadline. Not that I want that to happen, but that’s just the realism of it.”

One thing that might keep Williamson in New Orleans is his trade value. One NBA executive anonymously described Williamson to Yahoo Sports as “a borderline All-Star who makes a lot of money,” and added that “a lot of teams are now avoiding” acquiring such players.

Williamson has two years remaining on his current contract. He is slated to make over $42 million next season, and much of that money has become guaranteed thanks to the fact that he has largely stayed healthy this season.

Williamson, 25, remains skilled, particularly when driving to the basket. His defense and rebounding are suspect, though, and he is making a lot of money for a player who is unreliable in that many respects. The Pelicans were reportedly eager to move him earlier in the season, but found no takers. It remains to be seen if that will still be the case this summer.