One NBA writer is proposing that the Philadelphia 76ers acquire Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram from the New Orleans Pelicans in a gigantic blockbuster trade. Lee Tran of Fadeaway World proposed the following wild trade idea between the Sixers and Pelicans:
Philadelphia 76ers Receive: Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Jonas Valanciunas, 2024 First-Round Pick (NOP), 2030 First-Round Pick (NOP)
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Joel Embiid, James Harden
Harden has requested a trade from the Sixers and intends to never play for the franchise again. Meanwhile, many people around the NBA believe Embiid will request a trade “sooner rather than later” in the wake of Harden calling Daryl Morey a liar, according to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports.
“Any team with a healthy Zion Williamson can be a great regular-season squad,” Tran wrote in his latest NBA trade column. “He would also have players such as Brandon Ingram and Tyrese Maxey supporting him, and in the East, those three players are enough to get far. Though neither Williamson nor Ingram are as good as Embiid, perhaps getting both of them can alleviate the sting of his departure.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
There have been several questions about Williamson’s diet and commitment to basketball since he’s only played in 114 out of a possible 308 regular-season games since being drafted by the Pelicans with the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Duke. Williamson played in 24 games in his rookie year and 61 games in his sophomore year. The lefty then missed his entire third year and appeared in just 29 games last season.
When he’s been on the court, Williamson has been a superstar. The North Carolina native has career NBA averages of 25.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists while shooting 60.5% from the floor. However, the Pelicans are only 57-57 when Williamson plays.
Ingram signed a five-year, $158.3 million contract with the Pelicans in November 2020. The one-time NBA All-Star averaged 24.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists for the Pelicans last season while shooting 48.4% from the field, 39.0% from beyond the arc and 88.2% from the free-throw.
The Pelicans acquired Ingram from the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2019 in the blockbuster Anthony Davis trade. Ingram is averaging 23.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 223 games with New Orleans. The Duke product won the 2019-20 NBA Most Improved Player of the Year Award.
The Pelicans missed the NBA playoffs this year after making it in 2022. They lost the 9-10 play-in game at home to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Ingram only appeared in 45 games last season, and according to NBA reporter Christian Clark of NOLA.com, Ingram’s inability to play through minor discomfort has frustrated some of his teammates.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans, Philadelphia 76ers Updates
If Embiid follows in Harden’s footsteps and requests a trade, the Sixers should see if the Pelicans are interested in doing a Harden-Embiid-Williamson-Ingram trade. Both teams would have promising futures if the trade went through.
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