The New Orleans Pelicans can’t afford to waste time with their rebuild. They must trade away Zion Williamson this offseason before it’s too late.
That is, of course, if Joe Dumars and Troy Weaver decide to move in the direction of a rebuild. There have been rumors that they are looking to get back into the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft, while at the same time, there have been reports that they are looking to acquire a big star like the Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown.
It’s anybody’s guess which direction the team will go in. But if they do decide to rebuild, they need to do it without Williamson.
Williamson is coming off one of the healthiest seasons he has had in the NBA. His value is as high as it’s been in years. And if you look at his past, he might not stay healthy next season.
The Duke standout has had three seasons where he’s played more than 60 games. He has yet to do that in back-to-back seasons. If you follow the pattern of his seven-year career, Williamson is due for another season where he misses more games than he plays.
At this point it’s anybody’s guess if Williamson will stay healthy next season. But it’s a risk the Pelicans shouldn’t take.
It would be one thing if they were trying to put a winning team on the court next season. Then it would be worth seeing if their star player can build off last season.
If the Pelicans rebuild, they need to focus on their younger stars
If they decide to rebuild, however, it won’t be worth waiting around next season to see if Williamson can increase his value. This is because of two reasons.
First, you have the obvious risk that Williamson gets hurt again and loses his trade value. Second, if you keep Williamson on the team, it will cut into developmental time for their young players, namely Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen.
I believe if given the time, Queen and Williamson could work together, but if the Pelicans are going into a rebuild, there is no point in trying to make it work. Let Queen grow in his role as the focal point of the Pelicans' offense. He can’t do that while Williamson is still in New Orleans.
Even if you went into the season with the idea that you would trade Williamson by the trade deadline, you are wasting precious developmental time keeping Williamson on the team and taking the focus away from the team’s younger players.
The one thing about Williamson is that when he’s on the court, the offense goes through him. It makes no sense to waste half a season building an offense through Williamson if you are going to trade him.
The Pelicans should get what they can for Williamson this offseason and start a fresh rebuild next season.
Williamson will always command a lot of attention when he is on the court. That can be a good thing when he is healthy and playing at a high level, but it can also be a bad thing when you’re trying to develop other players on the team.
If Dumars and Weaver want to rebuild, they should do it without Zion Williamson on the team.
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