After the Kevin Durant trade, it has become clear that the Western Conference will be extremely tough in the 2025-26 season. This reopens the door to a Zion Williamson trade. With the Pelicans' current roster construction, they are middle of the pack in the West when healthy. The keyword there is healthy, given how injury-prone this core has been over the last two seasons.
The Pelicans should take the Oklahoma City Thunder winning it all, and the Rockets getting Durant for pennies on the dollar as a sign from the basketball gods to shake things up. Obviously, I'm not saying it has to be Championship or blow it up for the Pelicans, but just being mediocre isn't enough in the West.
Just ask the Memphis Grizzlies. They won 48 games last season, and their reward was a play-in game. Then, in round one, they were swept by the OKC Thunder. So what did they do? They decided to capitalize on an unreal offer for Desmond Bane, getting the 16th pick, three unprotected first-round picks, a pick swap and two veteran players.
Seeing a return like that for Bane makes you wonder what New Orleans could get for someone like Zion Williamson. He dealt with some injuries last year, resulting in only 30 appearances, but in those games, Williamson was a monster. He averaged 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game on an efficient 56.7% from the field. Z is already a two-time All-Star and could be the perfect running mate for a certain Eastern Conference guard.
The proposal that reloads the Pelicans and makes the 313 take a leap
Trading away Zion would sting. He was the number one overall pick in 2019 and was supposed to be the franchise's savior after Anthony Davis' departure, but it hasn't panned out that way. And if the Pels don't want to get stuck in the middle of the Western Conference standings, trading Zion is the first step to rebuilding this team. New Orleans already has an excellent foundation for a rebuild with picks 7 and 23 in tomorrow's draft, as well as Trey Murphy, and this return will only add to that.
Getting exciting young talent like Jaden Ivey who prior to suffering a broken fibula was having an unreal 3rd year, and could be a fun piece going forward. He averaged 17.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. He has a ton of potential and in New Orleans he could finally spread his wings and break out.
Ron Holland is a gritty wing with tons of talent who showed promise in his rookie season. He is a hustle-first guy who prides himself on the defensive end and is always trying to get a stop. He has incredible defensive potential and could become something extraordinary in NOLA. In addition to Holland and Ivey, they will also be getting three first-round picks, and an expiring deal in Tobias Harris, rounding out an impressive return package.
The Pistons may be the only team desperate enough to get Cade Cunningham a co-star to trade for Williamson, and the Pelicans should consider capitalizing on that. There's also a strong connection between the two front offices. Joe Dumars is a former Pistons executive and player, and his assistant, Troy Weaver, drafted Ivey as the team's General Manager in 2022. For the Pistons, Trajan Langdon, their President of Basketball Operations, is a former Pelicans front office member, meaning he already has a connection to Zion.
The Pistons and Pelicans could do one another a huge favor with this trade. New Orleans can take a strategic step back in the loaded Western Conference. And for Detroit, with the East wide open, they can finally give Cade Cunningham the co-star he needs to contend. Unless the Pelicans are planning to make a major splash, like pursuing LaMelo Ball or Devin Booker, entering a rebuild may be their only realistic path.