The New Orleans Pelicans have had a tough season. An 8-31 record, nearly 40 games into the season without ownership of their first-round pick in 2026, there's not a ton to look forward to if you’re a Pelicans fan. That said, with it widely expected that Zion Williamson's time in the Big Easy could be coming to an end, an old suitor has reemerged, offering some hope.
Not too long ago, it was reported that the Pelicans would be willing to accept the first decent offer they received. It was also reported that the Bulls were looking to build their team like the Indiana Pacers, as they felt Josh Giddey was their Tyrese Haliburton, and they were in search of their Pascal Siakam. So I connected the dots and pitched the idea that the Bulls could be a suitor for Williamson, and now, according to Brett Siegel's latest report, that could be true.
Siegel reported that Chicago is interested in Williamson, as he would be an “ideal buy-low candidate” for a Bulls team that is sitting three games under .500. While that may not be what Pelicans fans want to hear about their former franchise savior, it appears to be the only option.
Getting Williamson off the roster holds more value than keeping him
Trading Williamson isn’t about money— it's about timeline and fit. We’ve seen many times this season that when healthy, the Pelicans are a competitive team, but just don’t get up enough threes nightly to win games. This is something Williamson contributes to massively. His whole career, he’s been a paint scorer, which holds value for a team like the Bulls, but it doesn’t for the Pelicans anymore.
Especially when considering that Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen, the franchise's two biggest building blocks going forward, aren’t great spacers themselves. Yes, Fears has shot the three-ball better than anyone expected this season at 32.3 percent on 3.2 attempts per game, but it still doesn’t remain a massive part of his game at this point in his career.
If the Bulls are interested, the Pelicans should be calling their phone today. With New Orleans unlikely to receive major, if any, draft compensation, their focus should be on acquiring expiring contracts and floor spacers in any deal involving Williamson.
One guy that should be a must-get player in any deal with Chicago is Kevin Huerter. Huerter is a career 37 percent three-point shooter and the type of connective piece who could really help the Pelicans' young core develop.
We just saw with Trae Young that there were basically zero suitors for him, ultimately leading to his trade to the Washington Wizards, and Zion Williamson appears to be in a similar situation. With no one really showing interest in Z, if the Chicago Bulls are serious about acquiring him, Joe Dumars needs to pick up the phone and call Marc Eversley today.