NBA fans love narratives, and often they just start spiraling out of control even when there isn’t much truth behind them, which is the case with Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans.
It seems like the second the Pels drafted Zion first overall, the talk has been about when he is going to leave, with media outlets reporting he’s unhappy (or at least an anonymous person in his family is) and that Zion is going to flee the small market of New Orleans for greener pastures.
It has led to some fairly reckless speculation about him going to the Knicks (dream on) and people throwing Zion Williamson into fake trades that would never happen in a million years.
It’s bad enough that Brandon Ingram’s name gets thrown around in trade speculation, but now Zion? There are some scenarios in which a Brandon Ingram trade might make sense (say if the Pelicans were trying to land someone like Damian Lillard) but he’s unlikely to be moved, and I can say with some certainty that Zion Williamson is not going anywhere.
The most recent hypothetical came from our friends at Pippen Ain’t Easy who suggested that Zion could be a target if the Bulls decide to trade Zach LaVine.
This made me laugh, as why in the world would the New Orleans Pelicans trade for a guy who they could realistically get as a free agent at the end of next season?
This one isn’t happening, and it’s extremely unlikely that the Pels would take calls from anyone on Zion without hanging up the phone within seconds.
New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson is the total package as a player
I’m sure every fake trade will have some nebulous amount of future draft picks thrown into it (do the Bulls even have any?) but the whole reason to stockpile draft assets is to get a guy exactly like Zion Williamson.
Not only is he already a superstar who scored 27 points per game last season, he is an iconic player who is already known by one name and is being pushed as the next face of the NBA.
He already has a top-selling pair of Jordans and is one of a handful of guys in the league who can draw an audience anywhere. He is also a nice guy who works hard and wants to be great, so unless Luka Doncic is involved, there isn’t another player in the league with Zion’s combination of age, skill, and marketability.
There is just not a realistic scenario in which the New Orleans Pelicans would even consider trading Zion, so let’s quit acting like it is even a possibility.