Zion Williamson’s Honest View on Possible Trade This Offseason

Zion Williamson is a big name to watch this offseason as the Pelicans star’s name has been thrown around this year for a potential trade. He has two years left on his contract following this season, but this would be the year to part ways with the former No. 1 pick if New Orleans intends to do so.

Williamson is aware of the chatter surrounding his future with the Pelicans. Although Pelicans executives Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver have never explicitly said they plan to send Williamson on his way this offseason, it’s hard for Williamson to ignore the conversation.

Yahoo Sports’ Yaron Weitzman spoke with Williamson this week, and the power forward was honest with his thoughts on a potential trade. Leaving New Orleans isn’t the ideal situation for him, but he understands that the business of the NBA sometimes calls for moves like this.

“New Orleans is home for me. It’s where I want to be,” Williamson told Weitzman. “But at the end of the day, if we're going to be realistic about it, the NBA is a business. I could be traded in the offseason, or I could be traded before [next season’s] trade deadline. Not that I want that to happen. But that’s just the realism of it.”

One of the reasons this could be the year in which Williamson leaves NOLA is because of him logging his healthiest stretch of his NBA career this season. Teams can finally see what he looks like healthy. He played in 35 consecutive games before missing one game with an ankle sprain in March. He’s played in 59 total games so far this season, an impressive mark in his injury-riddled NBA career. In Williamson’s six-year career, he’s only played in over 30 games three times. He’s averaging 21.3 points on 60.4% field goal shooting per game this season.

There’s understandably been some concern about Williamson’s health from other teams who are considering making a move from him. One good and healthy season doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what will happen for him every year. He’s proven that injuries can keep him off the court for long stretches of time.

However, Williamson thinks his performances this season should help his case. He used the example of his hip strain from December and how he returned to the court much quicker than what was projected. His ability to recover may be improving, which he gave credit to his new trainer for.

“I feel like I've shown enough this year to be able to say, like, ‘This is what it's gonna look like,’” Williamson said. “Even when I did have an injury, I was projected to miss four to six weeks, and instead I was back in two and then went on a long stretch of consecutive games.”

As for Williamson’s contract, he’s finishing up the third season of a five-year, $197.2 million deal. He’s making $39.4 million this year and is set to make $42.2 million next season, and $44.9 million for the 2027-28 season if he hits certain incentive marks. He must play in at least 41 games the season prior for his contract to become guaranteed, per Spotrac. If he plays in 51 or 61 games, his contract guaranteed increases by 20% every 10 more games played. Being healthy literally helps him make more money.

Ideally, if the Pelicans elect to trade Williamson, the organization would choose to do so in the offseason before July 15, when his contract becomes fully guaranteed.

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