NBA
Despite conflicting reports, sources say that the Pelicans will not be trading Zion Williamson to Charlotte or Portland
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated16 Jun 2023
At this point in the offseason, it’s difficult to know what to believe from all the rumors that arise. Earlier this week we were told by Shams Charnaia that the Pelicans want to trade up the#2 or #3 pick. He said the team would be willing to trade former #1 overall pick Zion Williamson. However, there are conflicting reports on what the New Orleans might do. Sources say that the Pelicans will not be trading Zion Williamson to Charlotte or Portland.
Charania reported that the Pelicans are interested in Scoot Henderson in the 2023 NBA Draft. He’s a top-three pick in the draft New Orleans would have to trade up to be in that position. We’ve recently learned that this information might not have been 100 percent factual.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony told Zach Lowe that the Pelicans won’t be trading Zion Williamson. He said he would be surprised to see the Pelicans try and move into that #2 or #3 spot in the draft.
Pelicans Not Interested In Trading Zion Williamson https://t.co/tvVTRHb52f
— RealGM (@RealGM) June 16, 2023
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony says the Pelicans will not be trading Zion Williamson this offseason
The biggest knock on Zion Williamson as an NBA player is his health and availability. In his four-year career thus far, he’s played in a total of 114 games. He missed the entire 2021-22 season due to a foot injury. Only once in his four professional seasons has he played more than 30+ games in a single season.
Jonathan Givony emphasized that the Pelicans were the best team in the West when Zion went down with an injury. He played in 29 games this past season and the Pelicans missed out on the playoffs. Who knows what the Pelicans would have looked like last season if Williamson was fully healthy and available?
In his four professional seasons, he’s been sidelined for 194 of 305 possible games. Injuries have plagued his career so far, but his future is still bright. When healthy, he’s one of the more dominant players in the NBA.
