After years of patience that bordered on denial, the New Orleans Pelicans are finally open to trading Zion Williamson—and everyone else, for that matter.
New Orleans will enter the 2025 NBA Draft with an opportunity to make a meaningful improvement to its roster. The issue facing the front office, however, is that injuries have defined far more than just the 2024-25 season for the Pelicans.
New Orleans struggled to feature their best players on a consistent basis throughout the David Griffin era—and Joe Dumars is looking to end that trend before it tanks his tenure.
Dumars has inherited a talented team with flaws that have unfortunately limited its ability to live up to its potential. As such, the Pelicans' new general manager must evaluate the undeniable upside of his roster and weigh it against concerns that are unfortunately founded in consistent turmoil.
According to Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports, the Pelicans are willing to listen to trade offers for all of their players—including Williamson.
"There are no untouchables in New Orleans. League sources say the Pelicans are gauging the market for everyone on their roster. They very well could end up keeping their core pieces, namely Zion Williamson, but it appears the Pelicans are looking into taking different paths this summer depending on what opportunities become available."
Williamson is one of the most spectacular talents in franchise history, but after years of unpredictable availability, the front office is finally open to seeing what it can get for him in a potential trade.
Pelicans are finally willing to listen to trade offers for Zion Williamson
New Orleans recently completed the sixth season of the Williamson era—and thus far, he's appeared in more than 30 games on just two occasions. As the franchise player, with four years and $163,225,200 remaining on his contract, that daunting reality has become impossible to ignore.
It's unclear what the market will be for Williamson, but his talent is certain to attract at least mild interest from rival executives looking to gauge what they'd have to give up to acquire him.
The appeal of trading for Williamson is identical to the reason New Orleans has been reluctant to move on from him: When he's been healthy, he's been nothing short of magnificent. The proof is in the numbers. He boasts career averages of 24.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists on 58.9 percent shooting from the field.
Williamson only appeared in 30 games in 2024-25, but even then, he displayed flashes of dominance en route to averages of 24.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game.
The questions facing Dumars are thus as simple as they are complex. Is it truly time to give up on one of the most dynamic and physically dominant talents in the NBA? Or is there still a way to salvage his future with the franchise considering he's still just 24 years of age?
The answer may be determined by the simple fact that Griffin hitched his wagon to the latter belief, and the Pelicans are now back at the drawing board with an entirely new lead executive.
Beyond Williamson, the Pelicans appear to be open to trading anyone for whom a rival executive is willing to make a compelling offer. It's difficult to stomach that possibility considering how talented New Orleans' roster is, but Williamson's injury history and Dejounte Murray's recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon have complicated matters.
There's no guaranteeing that any trades will be completed, but the Pelicans are reportedly open to blowing up a roster Dumars will at least theorize has run its course.