The New Orleans Pelicans have been in absolute freefall this season. Coming off a 21-61 record last year, they have gone 3-19 to start out this season. Willie Green was fired already. Looking like one of the worst teams in the NBA, it’s been hard to pull too many positives out about them.
Dejounte Murray is still yet to play. Jordan Poole has missed 15 games in a row. Oh and by the way, they traded their first-round pick for next season to acquire their rookie big man Derik Queen. They’ve been benching him.
The team has a long way to go to figure things out. That may start with trading Zion Williamson, if such a thing is even possible with all the health scares. He’s currently out indefinitely with a leg injury.
Is Williamson’s contract tradable? Time to take a look at that, and some other tough to move deals around the league.
Zion Williamson’s Contract Looms Large
Already in his seventh season in the league, Zion Williamson has logged more than 30 games just two times. That was read correctly. He played in 30 last year, and has missed more than half of the contests this season. His injury list is incredibly long.
Williamson is making $39 million this year. He makes $42 million in 2026-27, and another $44 million in 2027-28. Any team that is willing to acquire the big man, would be doing so knowing that it could just be temporary. The final three years of his deal became non-guaranteed after he failed to meet certain requirements a few seasons back.
He has never appeared in a playoff game. Truly, it’s a shame that he hasn’t been able to stay healthy, because the on-court product has been incredible when Zion has been out there.
Paying all this money for a guy hardly out there is far from a winning recipe. And the Pelicans squad that won 49 games two years ago is nowhere to be seen.
Trey Murphy III could bring in some assets. Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen should have bright futures here. The Saddiq Bey resurgence has been fun to watch, and great to see after his season-ending injury two years ago.
Most everything here needs to be improved, though. And Zion has got to go.
Zion Williamson’s NBA Future
Injury prone NBA players always pose the toughest conundrums. Paying a max contract to somebody they took #1 overall and made All-Star appearances, is something the Pelicans felt they had to do.
When they signed him to a contract extension in the summer of 2022, he had appeared in just 85 games over three seasons. Zion Williamson seemed to be in good spirits, securing the bag, and locked in as the franchise star.
The 2023-24 season did see hope for Williamson. He appeared in 70 games, showing his promise throughout the campaign. He was in the midst of a 40-point night when he suffered a knee injury. Since then, he has only appeared in 40 games, out of a possible 104.
Somebody might take a swing on Zion. He has potential to dominate in every game he plays in. The question remains, though. Will he be out there?
Good luck to the Pelicans front office in trying to move off of Williamson. While there might be suitors, the asking price will be the ultimate factor in a deal getting done or not.
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