Pelicans should target Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III in a trade

It's no secret that the New Orleans Pelicans are in desperate need of an established center. Outside of the five spot, they have a talented and relatively deep roster that suggests they could be dark-horse title contenders. While the center position started to lose its importance in the NBA in the pace-and-space and small-ball era, the trend swung dramatically in the other direction with the emergence of Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and the other dominant big men in the league.

Both of those MVPs are still in the midst of their primes and commanding their respective conferences. Meanwhile, young unicorns like Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren are quickly progressing their games to represent the next era of dominant bigs. As the rest of the NBA is collecting freakish talents to anchor their teams, New Orleans is preparing to enter the upcoming season with a center rotation consisting of a 32-year-old Daniel Theis, a true rookie in Yves Missi, and a former second-round pick turned free agent signing in Karlo Matkovic.

Needless to say, the Pelicans' depth at center is, at best, uninspiring and, at worst, damning. They may have four All-Star-caliber players on deck in CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray, Brandon Ingram, and Zion Williamson, but their shoddy center rotation could keep them out of the postseason altogether. But, there are quite a few anchors available on the trade market that could change the fortunes of this team.

Robert Williams III could be the perfect trade target for the New Orleans Pelicans

When perusing the landscape of the league, it's surprising to find that the Pelicans aren't the only team in need of a center. A few years ago, it felt like solid, dependable big men came a dime a dozen in the NBA. There were a host of established players who can aptly defend the paint and finish plays on the other end of the court. On top of that, it seemed like every draft class had a handful of surefire run-and-dunk big men waiting to replenish the league's depth.

Seemingly out of nowhere, there's a shortage of reliable centers. Most teams have only one big man they can consistently rely on, and some teams, like the Pelicans, have none. The Portland Trail Blazers are an anomaly in today's league in that they currently employ four centers who would crack most of rotations in the NBA, if not all of them: Deandre Ayton, recent seventh-overall pick Donovan Clingan, Duop Reath, and Robert Williams III.

The Blazers stumbled into this logjam, because they're in the middle of a total rebuild. Ayton came to them via trade after they dealt away Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks to officially begin the new era in Portland. Robert Williams III they acquired as part of the subsequent Jrue Holiday trade, after they acquired the two-time NBA champion in the Dame swap. Duop Reath they signed as an intriguing overseas talent from Australia. And, finally, Clingan essentially fell into their laps in the 2024 NBA Draft at pick seven.

Now, the Blazers can host a bidding war for one or two of their centers and any other veteran talents they deem expendable, like Matisse Thybulle and Anfernee Simons maybe. If they do so, Robert Williams III should command attention from plenty of contending hopefuls looking to bolster their big-man depth.

Thankfully for the Pelicans, the price shouldn't drive up too high, even if there's interest from other teams. Now 26 years old, Robert Williams III is no longer viewed as a promising prospect who might grow into an All-Star someday. He's a known commodity at this point in his career, and one of the most well-known things about the former Texas A&M Aggie is that he's ridiculously injury prone.

Entering his seventh season this year, Williams III has yet to eclipse 62 games played in any single campaign. He has four seasons where he played less than 36 games. In fact, he has as many seasons with less than 30 games played as he does seasons with more than 50 games played: two each.

Undoubtedly, there's a huge injury concern if the Pelicans do wind up trading for him. Having a starting frontcourt that consists of BI, Zion, and Williams III is asking to have dangerous levels of anxiety game in and game out, due to the fear of injury.

But, that injury history should keep Williams III's price tag on the affordable end of the spectrum. Many have surmised that the Pelicans may need to trade Brandon Ingram this season in order to shore up their center depth — myself included — but, with this deal, New Orleans likely wouldn't have to include BI to add Williams III.

When he's healthy and available, he's a force to be reckoned with. Although undersized, he's established himself as one of the premier interior defenders in the game. What he lacks in stature, he makes up for with agility and athleticism, capable of guarding out on the perimeter, jumping passing lanes, and, of course, swatting nearly everything at the rim. For his career, he averages nearly three blocks per 36 minutes.

On the offensive end of the court, he's a limited player. Williams III will bring little to the Pelicans' attack aside from extremely efficient finishing and the occasional offensive rebound. But, while his bag is rudimentary, he provides a level of vertical spacing that New Orleans has never had alongside Zion.

With his ability to rise up quickly and his ridiculous catch radius, Williams III is one of the most feared lob threats in the game when he's healthy. Having a rim-roller that dangerous will provide spacing if deployed correctly.

With two years on his deal at an average of $13 million, he has a very palatable and tradable contract. The Pelicans could easily convince the Blazers to send Williams III to the Big Easy with some combination of young players and future draft capital. New Orleans certainly has the ammunition available, and the Time Lord would be a great fit with the Pelicans when healthy. We'll see if Vice President David Griffin will turn this potential marriage into a reality.