The New Orleans Pelicans have made All-Star forward Zion Williamson available in trade talks ahead of the February 6 deadline, per multiple NBA insiders.
On December 16, ESPN’s Bobby Marks provided additional intel on a potential Zion Williamson trade and the kind of haul the Pelicans hope to acquire for the former No. 1 overall pick. Marks noted that the Pelicans “have no desire” to waive Williamson even though can cut bait with the star forward if needed. As per Williamson’s contract, his next three seasons (2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28) are non-guaranteed, and even his 2024-25 salary of $36.7 million salary is only partially guaranteed.
“Should New Orleans explore the trade market for Williamson and build around [Brandon] Ingram? The question is valid, especially if the Pelicans are tired of regularly seeing Williamson’s name on the injury report,” Marks wrote.
Pelicans Could Hurry Zion Williamson Trade
“The realization comes with New Orleans needing Williamson to be available if it wants to maximize his value on the court or in a trade,” Marks continued. “If they do move him, the Pelicans can acquire expiring contracts and perhaps a future first-round pick. New Orleans can outright release Williamson this summer with no financial obligation.”
If the Pelicans don’t move Williamson before July 2025, his salary for the 2025-26 season becomes guaranteed. As such, New Orleans is incentivized to move him sooner rather than later.
According to insider Marc Stein, the Pelicans are open to “trading every player” on their roster with the exception of Herb Jones, rookie Yves Missi, and Trey Murphy III. The report added the Pelicans are willing to re-sign Brandon Ingram to a new contract provided he accepts $40 million per season. However, Ingram is said to be looking for “closer to $50 million per year,” per league sources.
Potential Suitors for Zion Williamson Trade
It’s hard to foresee a contending team taking the risk of acquiring Williamson due to his injury history. As such, Mitchell LeBrun of Bettor Insider named the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, Portland Trail Blazers and Brooklyn Nets as four potential suitors.
“The Utah Jazz are an interesting spot for Zion,” LeBrun wrote. “They are hungry to acquire talent and have the resources to absorb Zion’s massive contract. How eager is Danny Ainge to take on an injury-prone 24-year-old making over 120 million dollars over the next three years? It’s hard to say. But they’ve taken on talent like this in John Collins and Collin Sexton before, which has worked out so far for them.”
The writer made a similar argument for the Blazers, another team on pace to finish with one of the worst records in the NBA for a third consecutive season. Much like the Jazz, Wizards and Nets, the Blazers have a chest of draft assets, young players and budget-friendly contracts that can be used for a potential trade with the Pelicans.
“They don’t have the talent to do much, but they could consider taking a gamble on Zion,” LeBrun wrote on the Blazers. “With another former number-one pick on the team, they could swap, sending De’Andre Ayton and draft capital to the Pelicans for Zion. With how young these teams already are and the trouble they’ve had developing talent in-house, this feels less likely than the other two.”
When healthy, there’s little doubt that Williamson is one of the best players in the NBA, especially due to his ability to finish around the rim with both hands. However, he hasn’t been able to survive a single season healthy since entering the league in 2019-20, missing a combined 206 games through his first five seasons in the league.
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