The New Orleans Pelicans had their hopes set high when they moved up five spots in the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery to be in position to select Zion Williamson with the No. 1 overall pick.
Williamson appeared in just 24 games during his rookie campaign and showed off some truly intriguing signs. He averaged an impressive 22.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 27.8 minutes per game. He showed off the makings of being one of the league’s dominant interior scoring threats.
The following season, Williamson appeared in 61 games and without a minutes restriction, he was up to 33.2 minutes per game. His averages jumped to 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while converting at a staggering clip of 61.1% form the field.
Ever since his All-Star season, Williamson has yet to appear in a single game and is away from the team in Portland, where he’s rehabbing after an offseason foot surgery. Now, there are rumors about him potentially wanting to play elsewhere, or at least not trusting the team’s management.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Zion Williamson Doesn’t Want To Be In New Orleans
Perhaps a solution for the Pelicans could be to capitalize on Williamson’s trade value in order to shift course in their roster construction efforts. CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram, and Jonas Valanciunas are solid pieces and if the right young player was added into the mix, they could have something special.
Could the Houston Rockets be a team to pull off a Zion Williamson trade? Let’s take a look at what an NBA trade scenario may look like.
