The New Orleans Pelicans are in a brutal place right now. They are 3–22, dead last in the Western Conference and in the entire league, already on their second coach of the season after firing Willie Green and handing the team to James Borrego on an interim basis.
A recent loss to the San Antonio Spurs stretched their skid to seven straight and underscored how quickly this season has spiraled out of control.
Zion Williamson’s year tells the same story. On paper, he is still producing at a star level: 22.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 51.0 percent from the field in his 10 appearances this season.
In reality, he is back on the injury report, currently listed as out with a Grade 2 right adductor strain that is expected to sideline him for weeks, and the Pelicans were already 3–18 at the time that injury was announced. For a player who has already battled hamstring, back, and conditioning issues over the past few years, this feels like the lowest point of his value since he entered the league.
That is exactly why the latest round of trade noise around Zion hits different. ClutchPoints reported that the Pelicans have made almost their entire roster available and that one league source believes they would accept the first “decent, reasonable offer” for Williamson. Combine that with a massive contract that still runs through 2028, and you get a very specific type of distressed asset.
For the Los Angeles Lakers, the Boston Celtics, and the Detroit Pistons, this might be the rare window where a front office can talk itself into a buy-low swing on a 25-year-old with superstar upside, hoping a new situation is the one thing that finally flips his career back into gear.
1. Los Angeles Lakers
Potential Trade Offer: Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Gabe Vincent, 2031 first-round pick, 2032 second-round pick
The Los Angeles Lakers, sitting at an impressive 17-6 record through early December, are firmly in contention in the Western Conference, holding the No. 2 spot overall and leading the Pacific Division.
Bolstered by an MVP-level Luka Doncic averaging 35.0 points and leading the team in scoring, alongside Austin Reaves, a still-productive 40-year-old LeBron James, and Deandre Ayton anchoring the center position, the Lakers boast a balanced attack with strong perimeter play and interior defense.
Their recent 112-108 win over the Philadelphia 76ers highlights their resilience, but adding a dynamic force like Zion Williamson could elevate them to championship favorites.
The proposed package salaries align well: Hachimura ($18.3M), Vanderbilt ($11.6M), and Vincent ($11.5M) total roughly $41.4 million, closely matching Williamson’s $39.4 million cap hit, satisfying NBA trade rules for salary matching.
On paper, this offer gives the Pelicans three rotation pieces and a pair of future picks while allowing the Lakers to keep all of their true blue-chip assets. Hachimura is quietly having a very solid year as a scoring forward, putting up 14.0 points and 3.9 rebounds on 53.6 percent from the field and 46.5 percent from three in 22 games.
Vanderbilt brings energy, rebounding, and defensive versatility at 4.6 points, 5.2 boards, and 1.5 assists in limited minutes, while Vincent has chipped in 5.3 points and 1.8 assists and at least gives another competent ball-handler when healthy. Losing that much depth would hurt, but none of those players project as untouchable in a title-or-bust environment built around Doncic and James.
The real question is whether Zion’s upside justifies the long-term risk for the Lakers. His contract runs through 2027-28 at roughly $39.5 to $44.9 million per season, loaded with protections and weight clauses after years of injuries. If he ever stays on the court, a healthy Williamson as a downhill finisher next to Doncic and as a pressure release for James would give the Lakers one of the most unfair offensive trios in the league.
But the Pelicans are reportedly ready to accept “the first decent, reasonable offer” because they no longer trust him to be available, which is exactly the risk the Lakers would be inheriting. For a team already light on future picks and desperate to maximize the final elite years of James, this is the definition of a boom-or-bust swing.
2. Boston Celtics
Potential Trade Offer: Anfernee Simons, Sam Hauser, Josh Minott, 2026 first-round pick, 2026 second-round pick (via MIN, NYK, NOP or POR)
The Boston Celtics are 15–9 and have climbed to third in the Eastern Conference despite Jayson Tatum being out with injury. Jaylen Brown is carrying a gigantic load, averaging 29.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.9 assists while leading a five-game win streak that has put the Celtics back in the contender tier. Derrick White has surged as a secondary creator, and the offense has stabilized again, but the Celtics still feel one elite frontcourt playmaker short with Kristaps Porzingis gone and the team trying to survive Tatum’s absence. That is where a buy-low swing on Zion Williamson becomes fascinating.
For the Pelicans, this package checks a lot of boxes. Anfernee Simons gives them an instant scoring guard with real gravity, putting up 13.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists on 44.0 percent from the field and 40.1 percent from three in his first season with the Celtics.
Sam Hauser brings pure shooting even in a down year at 7.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists on 36.6% from the floor and 36.4% from deep, and Josh Minott adds a young, springy forward who is averaging 7.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists on 51.3 percent shooting as his role grows.
Add a 2026 first and a flexible 2026 second, and the Pelicans suddenly have more spacing, more on-ball creation, and extra draft capital without taking on long-term money as heavy as Zion’s max deal.
For the Celtics, this is the definition of a calculated gamble. They would be shipping out useful depth and one of their better off-the-dribble shooters in Simons, plus a rotation sniper in Hauser and a promising forward in Minott, to take on a 25-year-old star whose availability has been a nightmare.
In return, they get the one thing they no longer have after the Porzingis move and Tatum’s injury, a frontcourt force who can pressure the rim every single possession and open up easier looks for Brown and White. A healthy Zion attacking closeouts created by Brown and Tatum next season would give the Celtics a terrifying offensive ceiling and a different way to win when the threes are not falling.
The problem is obvious. If Zion’s body never cooperates, the Celtics have burned a pick, lost three real role players, and hard-capped themselves around a core that might be top-heavy and fragile in a league where the Thunder and other deep teams keep proving that depth almost always wins out.
3. Detroit Pistons
Potential Trade Offer: Tobias Harris, Caris LeVert, 2026 first-round pick, 2028 first-round pick, 2029 second-round pick, 2030 second-round pick (via MIN)
The Detroit Pistons might be the most interesting Zion destination because, unlike the Lakers or the Celtics, they are not desperate. The Pistons are 19–5, first in the Eastern Conference and first in the Central, with a top ten offense and a top-tier defense built around Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren.
Cunningham just picked up Eastern Conference Player of the Month after averaging 28.2 points, 9.3 assists, and 6.5 rebounds during Detroit’s 17–4 start, which included a thirteen-game winning streak.
This is not a team crawling for relevance anymore. It is a group that already looks like a real contender.
That is what makes this offer so bold. Tobias Harris has quietly turned into the perfect veteran for this version of the Pistons, putting up 14.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists on 45.3% from the field and 37.9% from three.
Caris LeVert gives them instant offense off the bench with 9.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in just over twenty minutes a night.
Sending both out, plus two firsts and two seconds, would strip away a big chunk of the veteran scoring and wing depth that has made the Pistons so tough to guard. In return, they would get Zion Williamson, a twenty-five-year-old frontcourt star who has been productive when on the floor but is once again sidelined by a soft tissue injury and whose contract runs through 2028 at max money.
Could this actually happen? From the Pelicans’ perspective, it is a dream type of package. They would get a starting caliber forward who spaces the floor, a scoring guard who can help right away, and four picks to keep feeding a long-term rebuild.
For the Pistons, it is much trickier. On paper, a Cunningham-Zion-Duren core would be terrifying, especially in transition, and might give the Pistons the kind of offensive ceiling you need to win titles.
In reality, they would be betting that Zion finally stays healthy while sacrificing depth and future flexibility from a team that already has the best record in the conference. Given how carefully the Pistons have rebuilt from rock bottom, this feels more like a “video game trade” than something their current front office would seriously pursue.
It is fun as a thought experiment, but the odds of them actually blowing up a 19–5 machine for Zion are probably very small.
