Zion Williamson was once considered the untouchable crown jewel of the New Orleans Pelicans, but that is reportedly no longer the case. The Athletic’s Jovan Buha stated the Pelicans are shopping Williamson and two potential landing spots have been suggested for him.
Two NBA executives told ESPN that the Golden State Warriors would be a logical fit for Williamson while a GM put forth the Chicago Bulls as a potential fit. He would be an interesting addition to both teams for very different reasons.
For the Warriors, a move for Williamson, who has averaged 22.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game in 2024-25, would be one final hail mary in their quest to win another title in the Stephen Curry era. They are currently 16-16 on the season and the only way they become a serious title contender is if they manage to trade for a star.
The Warriors would be able to land Williamson without having to give up a ridiculous amount of assets due to his injury history. He has only played six games this season as well due to a severe hamstring issue but if he can stay healthy, he would be a great addition.
We put forth a mock trade that sees the Warriors land Williamson as part of a Pelicans fire sale. That trade had them giving up two first-round picks and Jonathan Kuminga as part of the package but they might not have to give up all that with how much the Pelicans star’s stock has fallen.
An executive speculated that Williamson could be available for a late first-round pick and salary filler. If that is the case, a pick along with Andrew Wiggins, Gary Payton II, and Lindy Waters III might just be enough to get him. That’d be a risk worth taking.
If Williamson stays healthy, the Warriors become a contender. If he flops, well they weren’t really in a position to win anything anyway. The counter-argument, of course, would be that the Warriors should play it safe and wait for a more reliable superstar to become available. You’d speculate that would be their line of thinking as well.
As for the 15-18 Bulls, a trade for Williamson gets the team star power that they lack. The two-time All-Star could be that exciting face of the franchise that they haven’t had since Derrick Rose.
We came up with a package that sees Williamson become the new franchise star for the Bulls. Much like with the Warriors, though, they might not even have to give up as much as we initially thought.
The executive who suggested the Bulls as a landing spot put forth a trade involving Williamson and Zach LaVine. The Bulls reportedly have been looking to move LaVine for quite some time now and while the executive thinks they would agree to this move, he doesn’t believe the Pelicans would. They might not want to take on LaVine’s contract, as he is in the third year of a five-year, $215 million deal.
Speaking of contracts, Williamson’s contract is quite unique. The Pelicans gave him a five-year, $197 million extension in 2022 but it had plenty of clauses in it.
Williamson is guaranteed 20% of his salary for the following season if he meets the weigh-in criteria and another 40% if he plays 41 games. If he plays 51 then another 20% is guaranteed and if he gets to 61, then add in another 20%.
Williamson has already missed 27 games this season and there’s a good chance that only 20% of his salary ends up being guaranteed as a result. It reduces some of the risk for any team trading him and that works in the Pelicans’ favor.
All this makes Williamson perhaps the most intriguing player to reportedly be on the trade market. It will be very interesting to see if any team takes a gamble by acquiring him.
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