With the New Orleans Pelicans holding the worst record in the Western Conference, trade rumors surrounding their roster have begun to heat up. New Orleans’ down year is mainly due to the number of injuries their roster has suffered. Almost every Pelicans’ player has missed time due to injury this season, including both of their star forwards, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson.
With the Pelicans sitting at the bottom of the West, many people around the league expect them to make moves before the NBA trade deadline in February. Two names that have continued to pop up in trade rumors include both Williamson and Ingram, but their injuries may scare teams away.
On Friday’s episode of NBA Today, ESPN’s NBA insider, Bobby Marks, proposed a trade that would send Williamson to the Golden State Warriors.
“Now, Zion is interesting here just because he is injured right now [and] we don’t know when he is coming back,” Marks said.
“For him to be on the court, that’s how you can get the most value for him, either in a trade or with the Pelicans. I’ve always circled Golden State, [who] would be certainly that team there for Zion.”
Marks’ proposed trade had the Pelicans sending Williamson to the Warriors for Andrew Wiggins, Brandin Podziemski and Kevon Looney in a ‘low risk’ move. For the Pelicans, trading away Zion and receiving a star in Wiggins, a young player with huge upside in Podziemski and an upgrade in their frontcourt depth in Looney would suit them better for the future.
Williamson has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career and has played in only 190 games over his five seasons in the NBA. The downfall of this trade for New Orleans is the lack of a draft pick in the deal, which may cause them to decline this offer. This trade would also be a bigger risk than Marks’ let on for the Warriors. They would be sending three key role players away for one player who has been great when healthy, but has been unable to stay on the court throughout his career.
