The New Orleans Pelicans have seen their 2024-25 season hopes go down the drain in the first two months as an injury crisis has caused the team to open with a 5-22 record. They’re last in the Western Conference with new reports suggesting that the team is willing to hear trade offers on the star players on their roster, meaning Zion Williamson might be available for a team that pays the right price.
The Detroit Pistons have taken a tangible step forward this season with J.B. Bickerstaff as their head coach, competing for a Play-In Tournament spot with a 10-16 record in the East. The team is well-positioned to return to the Playoffs in the next season or two with their young talent getting better every season. They can accelerate that process by making a major but risky move for Zion.
Trade Details
Detroit Pistons Receive: Zion Williamson, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Jalen Duren, Isaiah Stewart, Tim Hardaway Jr., 2029 First-Round Pick (DET)
The Pelicans are willing to hear offers on everyone outside rookie Yves Missi, All-Defensive selection Herb Jones, and recently-extended wing Trey Murphy III, so the Pistons are in the perfect position to use one first-round pick and a high-upside center to make this deal happen this season.
The Pistons Take A Huge Gamble
The Pistons can continue their rebuild at a snail’s pace and wait for their players to emerge as stars, with Cade Cunningham taking a noticeable leap this season. Instead of waiting around every season to gauge how much of an improvement their collection of young talent is making, they can trade a few pieces now for a high-ceiling move by acquiring Zion.
Zion averaged 22.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists this season before being ruled out indefinitely due to a hamstring issue, yet another injury problem for the young forward. Every time he’s healthy, he shows why he’s a bonafide All-Star caliber player but he’s not on the court enough for the Pelicans to reap the benefits of his skill.
The Pistons will make this move knowing Zion has injury concerns, but that is reflected in the price as well. Three rotational players with a potential future All-Star like Duren heading out isn’t minor, but the Pistons are well-positioned to build out a roster with a new philosophy, be it through additional trades, cap space next season, or draft selections.
If Zion doesn’t return this season, they can consolidate another high draft pick and push for the Playoffs next season. The Pistons will hope their medical team can provide the care that Zion has lacked in New Orleans given almost every player has struggled with injuries while playing for the franchise, prompting a former player to call them ‘cursed.’
The Pelicans Build Towards Something New
The Pelicans have a lot of winning players on their roster because they hoped they’d be a contending team by now after reshaping their franchise at the start of the 2019-20 season. Despite the incremental roster improvements made by the franchise, injuries have never allowed them to reap its benefits, with Zion never even playing a Playoff game for the franchise.
Instead of bottoming out, the Pelicans land three playable veterans with two fitting into the team’s future as well.
Jalen Duren is the centerpiece of this deal, averaging 8.9 points and 8.9 rebounds this season as a 21-year-old center. He can potentially be an All-Star in the future and addresses the hole the Pelicans have had at center all season long. Isaiah Stewart would be a great frontcourt option as well, averaging 6.1 points and 6.1 rebounds.
Tim Hardaway Jr. is averaging 9.6 points this season and will be attractive as an expiring $18 million contract. Hardaway Jr. and Brandon Ingram coming off the books in the summer would open up over $50 million in cap space to accommodate extensions for Trey Murphy and potentially Duren next offseason.
It also gives them the competitive pieces to try and return to the Playoffs next season as players like Dejounte Murray and CJ McCollum will likely still be on the franchise. Moving off Zion is going to free the Pelicans of yearly issues with his health, and could lead to another new era.
A High-Risk High-Reward Deal
The Pistons could create one of the most exciting duos in the NBA with Cunningham and Zion next season if Zion can finally have some good health in Detroit. Any deal including him is contingent on a franchise taking a bet on his health that the Pelicans simply can’t anymore given this has been a cycle over the last five years with the No. 1 Draft pick in 2019.
The Pelicans would be glad to move off Zion for a robust trade package including multiple players, as there’s no way a franchise would stake more than one future draft pick on a potential liability like Zion.
If this works out for Detroit, they’d become a bonafide Playoff team in the East while the Pelicans get a chance to start fresh after multiple seasons of faux-contention before injuries pushed them to the bottom of the standings this season.
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