The Zion Williamson era in New Orleans has been one of hope, but time and again, that hope is crushed by injuries. And this trend continued with the announcement that Williamson will miss extended time with an abductor strain. This news was followed by a report from ClutchPoints' Chris Dodson, backed by ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel, stating that the Pelicans will accept the first decent offer for Zion Williamson.
While it might sound wild for New Orleans to sell low on the former No. 1 overall pick, at this point, it is the team's only option. Williamson’s lengthy injury history won’t help the front office during trade negotiations. And with the way his health constantly kills any momentum the team is building, getting him off the roster is a win in itself.
All the Pelicans realistically should be looking for is cap relief and some future draft capital. If a team like the Timberwolves wants to offer Julius Randle, a first-round pick, and maybe one of their young players, the Pels must jump at that. Trades like this clear the runway for the future of this team, a future led by Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen, and Trey Murphy III.
Those three give the front office a clear group to build around for years to come and can help achieve the goal they could never reach with Williamson at the helm: postseason success.
This new trio makes the breakup easier
For years, it felt like the front office couldn’t find a concrete reason to move on from Williamson, as there were no clear-cut players to usher in the post-Zion era. But the front office has found its solution to this problem with three legitimate building blocks in Fears, Queen, and Murphy III.
To start this season, it was unclear how NBA-ready both of the Pelicans' lottery picks would be and whether Murphy III was ready to make the leap into stardom. And while their play hasn’t resulted in a winning start to the season, both Fears and Queen are top candidates to win rookie of the year, and Murphy III is averaging 24.1 points per game over his last 12.
Seeing Fears produce 15.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. And with DQ having five 20+-point explosions and four games with seven or more assists, it appears that the Pelicans may have drafted a pair of future All-Stars in the 2025 NBA draft.
Zion Williamson's inability to stay healthy has held this franchise back for too long, so it's encouraging that the front office is finally willing to pull the plug. Especially with the bright young foundation that Derik Queen, Jeremiah Fears, and Trey Murphy III provide.