This NBA offseason is going to be an important one for the New Orleans Pelicans. They learned that they have a relatively strong, competitive roster after acquiring CJ McCollum and Larry Nance Jr. from the Portland Trail Blazers ahead of the trade deadline. One rumor that has been flying around for a couple of months now is that the New York Knicks could be eyeing a way to trade for Zion Williamson.
McCollum combined with Brandon Ingram to create a very good one-two punch for the Pelicans offensively. They were able to defeat the San Antonio Spurs and LA Clippers in the NBA Play-In Game before taking the No. 1 seeded Phoenix Suns to six games in their first-round series.
Imagine how much more dangerous the Pelicans would be with their star player, Zion Williamson? Williamson ended up missing the entire 2021-22 season because of a foot injury that he suffered in the offseason. It sounded as if he was pushing to get onto the court during the postseason, but the franchise exhibited extreme caution.
Williamson is eligible for an extension this offseason and it will be interesting to see how things play out. His injuries are a major concern and there has been a lot of chatter about him wanting to leave New Orleans already.
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That may not be someone they want to hand a lucrative long-term deal over to. If there is a chance that Williamson could be on the move, the Knicks are a team that would be near the front of the line to acquire him.
To acquire him, the Knicks would likely have to surrender a lot of the assets that they have compiled in recent years. In that hypothetical trade, the Knicks are sending Obi Toppin, Alec Burks, and four first-round picks over to New Orleans for Williamson.
From New York’s perspective, that is a ton of draft capital to trade for someone who hasn’t proved he can stay on the court. Julius Randle is presumably still on the roster at this point, which would create a huge logjam at the position and create unbalance on the roster.
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Without Randle being moved, this trade would not make sense for the Knicks. They would likely haggle down the asking price on draft compensation as well.
New Orleans would have the bargaining power to make some big moves in upcoming drafts. With all of the first-round picks they acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks for Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday, they would be rivaled only by the Oklahoma City Thunder in draft compensation.
The Pelicans would surely like to retain Williamson, but if they can receive an offer like this, it will be hard to turn it down. Getting four first-rounders and a promising lottery pick in Toppin could be enough for New Orleans to pull the trigger on a player who hasn’t seemed to be committed to them long-term.
While the Pelicans may not end up moving Williamson, his name will likely be attached to plenty of NBA rumors this offseason.
