Should the Pelicans Move On and Trade Zion Williamson?
Even as the Pelicans Continue to Reject a Potential Trade for Williamson, Should NOLA Reconsider?
Rejoice NOLA, Zion’s Back!
As a long-time fan of pro hoops, one of the best pieces of NBA news to come across my desk this season was Zion Williamson making his awaited return to the New Orleans Pelicans after another injury-ridden absence.
WELCOME BACK ZION 💥 pic.twitter.com/YOazlzsQbY
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 8, 2025
Call me a fool, or whatever you want, but I firmly believe Zion could become a dominant force in the league if he plays at least close to his peak physical form.
Based on his comeback performance against the Timberwolves on Tuesday night, I can see Williamson being the type of player wanting to come back with a giant chip on his shoulder and ready to show why he was deemed to be trouble at the beginning of the season for opposing squads before everything went south for him again.
ZION 360 WINDMILL COME ON NOW 🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/hGuQ1R7FjW
— NBA (@NBA) January 8, 2025
Just that 360 alone got me believing in Zion once again and doubling down on shutting down any NBA rumors surrounding the idea of the Pelicans thinking about potential trade talks.
Too Much Weight on His Shoulders
Having only played in 191 of 427 possible regular season NBA games in his six-year career in the pros, the former Duke phenom has dealt with a slew of haters who know no rest.
But let’s talk facts here.
Zion Williamson’s weight has always been the main focal point of critics attacking the big man. But if you dig into his contract with the Pelicans, you’ll see that NOLA has made it a point to uphold a weight clause requiring the player to meet specific benchmarks at various points during each season he’s been with the team.
And funny enough, the kicker in all this has been that Williamson has constantly been able to hit said marks, showing a true level of compromise and dedication to hit his best physique to help the team win.
The significance of Zion Williamson coming off a two-month injury absence in tremendous shape is not lost on me pic.twitter.com/ZvnzQD6arN
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) January 8, 2025
Yes, injuries have been a b*tch for the player, but that doesn’t mean Williamson hasn’t been putting up with his end of the deal.
So why would the Pelicans want to get rid of him? It’s a former two-time all-star who, with some luck and proper game management, could make a fantastic comeback and cement himself as one of the league’s best comeback stories.
As a matter of fact, if I were the Pelicans, I would be doubling down on helping and pushing Zion to be 100% again, and even push him to show what he can do best, like dunk, in a certain tournament on All-Star Weekend that is in dire need of being saved before it’s too late.
Chris Broussard: You know what Zion should do to get back into the good graces of Basketball America?
Nick Wright: Do the Dunk Contest
CB: Yes really. He needs it. He could save the dunk contest pic.twitter.com/IfVIh8yImM
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) January 8, 2025
Zion + the Dunk Contest? A match made in heaven for NBA picks and predictions fans who bet on All-Star Weekend side activities.
Pelicans Playing Hot and Cold Might End Up Costing Them
It’s no secret that the Pelicans’ season and potential at any sort of NBA playoffs run is a complete and utter waste of everything.
Even after building a strong foundation of players alongside Williamson, including Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, and Dejounte Murray, the Pelicans have amounted to almost nothing. The only reason I’m not saying nothing at all is their seven wins in the season, which puts them one win above the Washington Wizards, the worst team in the league.
Now, with the potential to land a top-five pick in next season’s draft and the chance to continue building, the whole trading or not trading Zion game should be put to rest.
At the end of the day, even if Zion’s betting odds to finally become the generational talent he was deemed to be, entering the season looking as slim as ever, if I were running NOLA’s front office, I would buy into the benefit of the doubt and give him one last chance.
Who cares if everybody ended up getting fooled by his body transformation this past offseason, only for him to fall victim to injuries again? At the end of the day, there’s too much talent in that massive body not to want to give the man one last shot to become the face of a struggling but hopeful Pelicans franchise.
The Pelicans with Zion vs the Pelicans without Zion 😭pic.twitter.com/5NyPXOdjW8 https://t.co/uhBxou4P7U
— Jono Barnes (@JonoBarnes) January 9, 2025
At the end of the day, the Pelicans could benefit more from nurturing Zion at least one more time rather than seeing him walk and find his groove somewhere else only to come back and stick it to them.
