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Zion Williamson’s Future With Pelicans Gets a Clearer Picture

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jeremy Beren | Last updated May 30, 2025 12:15 PM ET

Six years into his career, Zion Williamson has yet to play in an NBA playoff game.

The New Orleans Pelicans team that took him first overall in the 2019 draft has suffered two first-round eliminations since Williamson entered the league. But injuries have prevented the former Duke star from participating as questions mount over whether he will ever reach the incredible potential he has teased for several years.

The 2024-25 Pelicans finished 21-61, the second-worst mark in franchise history. Combined with another injury-plagued season out of Williamson, speculation has ramped up in recent weeks that New Orleans could look to deal the two-time All-Star amid a teardown of its roster.

The New Orleans Pelicans don’t have any untouchable players on their roster, per @KevinOConnorNBA

“There are no untouchables in New Orleans. League sources say the Pelicans are gauging the market for everyone on their roster. They very well could end up keeping their core… pic.twitter.com/gdDoUjNFwq
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 30, 2025

"There are no untouchables in New Orleans," wrote Yahoo! Sports' Kevin O'Connor. "League sources say the Pelicans are gauging the market for everyone on their roster."

But Williamson may yet be spared from the roster cull that could take shape under new president of basketball operations Joe Dumars.

Williamson is slated to make $39.4 million next year, and his contract ties him to the Pelicans until the summer of 2028. In addition, Williamson is only 24 years old -- and though he played only 30 games in 2024-25, he averaged 24.6 points while averaging fewer than 30 minutes per game. Dumars and team owner Gayle Benson would be loath to deal Williamson and watch him thrive elsewhere.

The Athletic's Will Guillory has reported that Dumars and Williamson "feel pretty good" about the future in New Orleans, and the Pelicans did make Williamson their on-stage representative at the NBA Draft Lottery earlier this month -- a lottery which revealed that New Orleans will pick seventh on June 25, when the 2025 NBA Draft commences.

Given the number of paths the Pelicans can take this summer, O'Connor has mocked Duke wing Kon Knueppel to the Pels as a player who "could fit on any roster" -- one with or without Williamson -- with his shooting, playmaking, and movement off the ball.

Only time will tell if Knueppel and Williamson, a pair of former Duke Blue Devils, can forge a new era of sustainable success in New Orleans.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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