Zion Williamson Trade Very Possible In Offseason
Zion Williamson was the most hyped-up player to enter the NBA since LeBron James and after being taken No. 1 overall in 2019 by the New Orleans Pelicans, the prophecy spoke that Zion would forever change the Pelicans organization.
Well, Williamson is now in Year 3 in the NBA, he has played in a total of 85 career games and has not stepped foot on the basketball court this season.
In the offseason, Zion Williamson suffered a fractured right foot that required surgery, but the problem is that he went and had surgery on his own without telling anyone within the Pelicans organization, leaving the entire franchise spitting out their coffee on Media Day when he showed up in a walking boot and crutches.
This injury was downplayed at first by the Pelicans and they originally stated that if he wasn’t ready for the start of the season, it would not be long after for him to rejoin the team. This was in late September, early October, and here we are now near the end of February talking about Zion Williamson sitting out the remainder of the year.
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Oh, and did I mention that all of this drama and Zion’s foot surgery occurred after a story was released by The Athletic stating that those close to Williamson want him out of New Orleans?
Drafting Zion Williamson No. 1 overall in 2019 was a no-brainer and any of the other 29 teams in the league would have made the same move, but drafting Ja Morant, who went second overall, could have really changed the trajectory of this Pelicans franchise.
Zion Williamson is expected to be out for the rest of the season now, he has been away from the team all season long, and newly acquired CJ McCollum stated recently that he has yet to talk with Zion, saying that “I haven’t had conversations with him directly,” during All-Star weekend on TNT.
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With Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Jonas Valanciunas and others, the Pelicans are built to win right now, which is why they have no time for all of this Zion Williamson drama. If he wants out, they should look to trade him in the offseason, especially since he will be entering the final year of his rookie contract.
New Orleans has been trying to “break the cycle” of trading their best talents every few years, but this situation with Zion Williamson is different and they cannot afford to screw it up.
