Pelicans Get Hit With Reality Check for Potential Zion Williamson Trade

The New Orleans Pelicans could look to trade away Zion Williamson, although it may be difficult.

Nov 6, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) smiles before a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans are on the tail end of an eventful 2025 offseason, heading into their training camp for the 2025-26 season with a much different look. The Warriors' key offseason additions include Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney, Saddiq Bey, Jeremiah Fears, and Derik Queen, while their only significant loss has been CJ McCollum.

The Pelicans have high hopes heading into the 2025-26 season with a young, talented roster, but what if things do not work out?

There have already been some trade rumors around rising star Trey Murphy III, but the Pelicans seem keen on keeping him around. However, can the same be said for Zion Williamson?

Mar 11, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) reacts after a dunk against the Los Angeles Clippers during the fourth quarter at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Potential Zion Williamson trade

Williamson, 25, was expected to be New Orleans' franchise cornerstone for a long time after the franchise took him first overall in 2019, but injuries and questionable off-court habits have seemed to have held him back.

The 2025-26 season could be make-or-break for Williamson, not only as he tries to make the Pelicans a competitive basketball team, but to simply stay on the court. If the Pelicans start to feel like Williamson is no longer the player that they hoped he could be, then they could turn to the trade market and explore his value across the league.

Next NBA superstar most likely to request a trade according to an ESPN poll of insiders

1. Zion Williamson
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo
3. LeBron James
4. Ja Morant
5. Trae Young pic.twitter.com/4AwaltGnjQ

— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) August 25, 2025

While Williamson is one of the most promising young stars when healthy, his value around the NBA is certainly questionable.

Williamson's poor trade value

Yahoo! Sports' Kevin O'Connor recently shared the harsh reality of a potential Williamson trade.

"With Zion, he has three years left on his deal — $39, $42, $45 million in the final three years of that deal. It's not untradeable, but when you think about the teams that would want to do it, it's either a team that's desperate — where there's nobody else out there — a team that feels like this is our best option, our only option to try to optimize our chances at a championship.

"Or it's a team kind of like [the Pelicans] where like you're — you're wandering a bit. You don't actually have an identity. You're figuring things out... That's what it could be with Zion if a deal actually happens. But if you're the — if you're the Pelicans, that's the difficulty with a Zion trade. What are you gonna get back for him at that point? Like, it might just be that it's worth just keeping him and hoping he stays healthy for 82 games some year and that things pan out."

The only scenario where Williamson has meaningful trade value is if he is staying healthy and playing some of the best basketball of his career. However, if he is playing like that, then it seems unlikely that the Pelicans would look to trade him, unless they are still sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference and want to get some value for him while they can.

Still, Williamson likely needs more than just one season to prove he can stay healthy for another team to take a significant shot at him.