The New Orleans Pelicans finally decided to part ways with Willie Green after a disastrous start to this season. However, the front office can't stop there, as it is time to part ways with Zion Williamson and usher in a new era of Pelicans basketball.
I understand that a coaching change can be a massive shake-up and potentially trigger a mid-season turnaround. But in the long term, hiring a new coach and giving him the same core is likely to lead to the same result. The new coach, whether it be interim head coach James Borrego or someone else, is likely to struggle with the same issues Green did, as it's nearly impossible to establish an identity when Zion Williamson is in and out of the lineup so often.
When healthy, Williamson looks like a top-15 player in the league. But his health issues have hampered the Pelicans for far too long, and it’s time to consider moving on.
The next era is waiting and it's time the front office realizes that
Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen have both been two of the best rookies in the entire NBA to start this season and are making it clear to everyone that they should be the faces of a new era of hoops in the Big Easy. Pairing those two with Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III on the wings, and that’s a core any head coach can get excited about building long-term.
Now, think about the return this team would receive for Zion Williamson. Let's use a team like Chicago as an example — with their early-season success at 6-5, they could be looking for a star.
Chicago would likely offer Coby White, two first-round picks, Zach Collins, and Isaac Okoro as salary filler. That's a solid return for a player who hasn't played in more than 30 games in three of his six seasons, and it gives the Pelicans more assets to retool around their core.
One of the biggest issues with NBA front offices is that they often recycle ideas that have already failed for them or for other teams. The Pelicans can't afford to repeat the same mistakes they made with Willie Green by forcing him to try to build a system and identity around Williamson, only to have him be unavailable again due to injuries.
The front office can't treat trading Williamson the same way they did with firing Willie Green. A change is needed, and they should trade him as soon as possible, because the more they wait, the worse his trade value will become.