What It Would Take for the Pelicans to Trade Zion Williamson

The Zion Williamson era with the New Orleans Pelicans, in totality, has been a disappointment. The much-heralded former No. 1 overall pick just completed his seventh season in New Orleans, had one of the healthiest years of his career, yet his team finished with only 26 wins. Williamson has yet to play a single playoff game since joining the Pelicans in 2019.

Some prognosticators have questioned whether trading the two-time All-Star would be beneficial for both parties.

Pelicans president of basketball operations Joe Dumars held an offseason press conference, reaffirming the team’s commitment to Williamson after the season. Dumars told reporters the team has “no intention” of dealing the former Duke standout, instead expressing his eagerness to attempt to build a contender around Williamson.

Granted, a statement saying you're looking to trade him wouldn’t be made to the media at a press conference. If something were to be explored behind the scenes, the Pelicans would have specific needs they would look to address.

Joe Dumars on potential Zion trade talks:

"We have no intentions of doing that. We look forward to working with him next year."
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) April 14, 2026

Pelicans May Find It Hard to Find a Strong Trade Package for Zion Williamson

Considering moving Williamson means New Orleans is ready to hand the keys over to Derik Queen to be the dominant force in the paint. Queen completed his rookie season with ups and downs, showing promise early but seeing his playing time greatly reduced later in the year. The former Maryland standout averaged 11.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in his rookie campaign.

Queen and Williamson are similar types of players in that they like to get downhill towards the basket. Analytics show that both players on the court together make for a defensively porous team, so a trade involving Williamson should look to involve some defensive help in the interior.

The Pelicans were the fourth-youngest team in the league this year, with Queen and fellow rookie Jeremiah Fears looking to be anchors of the team moving forward. Couple that with sharpshooting forward Trey Murphy III, and the Pelicans could have their nucleus in those three, warranting consideration of a deal involving Williamson.

There is no doubt that a healthy Zion makes the Pelicans better, but availability is your best ability, and historically, he hasn't proven consistent in that area.

Any team considering a trade for Zion will take into account his extensive injury history. Williamson played 62 games this past season, the second most of his career. However, he’s played fewer than 30 games in four out of the seven seasons he’s been in the league.

He is in the midst of a contract extension he signed back in 2022, which the team heavily protected with incentives and benchmarks tied to certain availability metrics. His current deal runs through the 2027-2028 season, with the star forward set to make around $42 million next season.

That alone would give teams pause before pulling the trigger on a major deal to acquire the Pelicans star, though there could still be deals that benefit the Pelicans. Phoenix Suns reporter Kellan Olson recently proposed a mock trade to the Suns that included guard Jalen Green, a future first-round pick from the Suns, and additional compensation.

On the surface, that may not appear to be enough for the Pelicans. Green battled hamstring issues in his first season in Phoenix, playing a career-low 32 games this year. The former No. 2 overall pick averaged 17.8 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.

Williamson is still just 25 years of age, but is coming off a season with career lows in points (21) and shots per game (13). Still, when healthy, he is a force to be reckoned with because of his sheer athleticism and strength. The question remains if he can stay healthy long enough to win consistently and help the Pelicans become a contender. If not, a separation between the two parties will inevitably take place.

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