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Pelicans Scoop

3 Zion Williamson Landing Spots This Offseason

Who might have some interest in Zion Williamson this summer?
Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans will be active this summer. Joe Dumars & Co. have signaled a desire to be as competitive as possible next season. With that objective in mind, no player should be considered untouchable.

That includes Zion Williamson. The Pelicans might not put him on the trade block explicitly, but they should be willing to listen to trade offers. If they decide to pivot and move on from their franchise star, who are the most likely suitors for Williamson?

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets have a ton of cap space this summer, making a potential Williamson trade relatively easy. They wouldn't have to match salaries in a trade, which makes them an attractive partner for the Pelicans.

Brooklyn will be interested in winning more games next season. They don't control their own pick in the 2027 NBA Draft, so they will have no incentive to tank. This could make them suitors for Williamson, who can carry them to more regular-season wins than they did over the last few seasons.

The Pelicans could ask for Nic Claxton back in this trade. The Nets also drafted five players in the first round last year. New Orleans could try to take a swing on one of them. There is potentially a win-win trade here.

Phoenix Suns

The Suns exceeded all expectations last season, making the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. Now, they are looking to take another step forward. Owner Mat Ishbia has been very aggressive since taking over the team, and that is unlikely to change now that he has tasted some success.

Phoenix doesn't have much draft capital to offer the Pelicans since they traded away most of them in win-now moves over the last few years. But they have players who could be of interest to New Orleans.

Jalen Green is one of those. The Suns have an abundance of backcourt players and a massive hole at power forward. Given that they have Collin Gillespie and Devin Booker, the Suns may be willing to trade Green for Williamson.

Miami Heat

Miami is focused on bigger fish this offseason. They will almost certainly be active in trade talks for Giannis Antetokounmpo. If that fails, Kawhi Leonard may be next on their list. Zion Williamson is not going to be a priority early on, but things can change pretty quickly. If the Heat are unable to land their preferred superstars, Williamson could emerge as a backup plan.

There is growing pressure within the Heat organization to take a step forward. Being stuck in Play-In purgatory for several years, the Heat are desperate to be contenders again in the Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra era.

Williamson could certainly help them in that regard. Playing next to an elite defender like Bam Adebayo may help unlock Williamson. Miami has a ton of good role players, but it lacks offensive firepower. The Heat have solid shooters up and down the roster, making Williamson a good fit.

Andrew Wiggins or Tyler Herro could be the primary matching salary in this deal. Another possibility would be a sign-and-trade scenario with Norman Powell as the centerpiece.

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Cem Yolbulan
CEM YOLBULAN

Cem has worked as an Associate Editor for FanSided's Regional Betting Network sites for two years and continues to be a contributor, producing NBA and NFL content. He has also previously written soccer content for Sports Illustrated. He has extensive prior experience covering the NBA for various Fansided sites. Cem has been living in the Washington, DC area for over 15 years since moving to the United States from Istanbul, Turkey. On any given day, he can be found watching soccer or basketball on his couch with his many cats and dogs.

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