On Friday, January 17, Zion Williamson played just his fourth game at the Smoothie King Center in front of his own New Orleans Pelicans crowd this 2024-25 NBA season. He put on a show, throwing down multiple dunks as his team routed the Utah Jazz, 136-123, and even tried to finish a half-court lob poster set up by Trey Murphy III.
Zion finished with 24 points on 11-21 shooting to go along with 14 rebounds — eight of which came on the offensive end — six assists, and three blocks in just 22 minutes of play. It's good that he gave his hometown crowd such a memorable performance, as the fans couldn't be blamed if they forgot what he's capable of doing this season.
The New Orleans fans aren't the only ones who needed a stark reminder of his staggering abilities when healthy. Earlier this season, it was reported that Zion's trade stock was at an all-time low, and it wasn't difficult to see why that might be the case. Now in his sixth year in the NBA, we've still yet to see any hard evidence that Z can stay healthy and lead a deep playoff run, let alone a title team. Even with the safeguards built into his contract, which front offices out there would want to mortgage their future to gamble on Zion and his health, especially when he's hardly been available all season?
If it's true that the Pelicans are considering moving on from him, they'll need Zion to dominate as many games as possible before the trade deadline. He'll need to do his best to replace the hesitance in the minds of the opposing general managers with jaw-dropping highlights and absurd box scores instead. Apparently, though, Zion Williamson's trade value might not be as cratered as initially expected.
Zion Williamson might still command real trade value despite abysmal 2024-25 season so far
On New Year's Eve 2024, ESPN's Bobby Marks and Tim McMahon dropped an article revolving around Zion Williamson's uncertain future with the New Orleans Pelicans. Amid the Pelicans' disastrous start to the season, speculation arose questioning if this would be the end of the Zion experiment in the Big Easy. While New Orleans fans have grown awfully familiar with talking heads forcing narratives of Z's inevitable departure from the Pelicans, this season's rumors were different.
Legitimate reports had come out that the Pelicans' front office were making practically the entire roster available in trades, Zion included. Then, it came out that the team might have even been actively shopping him. Then, Bobby Marks and Tim McMahon's piece practically quashed any real worry that New Orleans would actually deal Zion this season. In their article, they spoke to various anonymous executives around the league, all of whom held the same sentiment: Zion had no real trade value.
One of them estimated that Zion could be moved in return for salary filler and a single late first-round pick. For that level of return, it would make absolutely zero sense for the Pelicans to trade him this season.
That was good news to any Pelicans fans who aren't yet ready to give up on Zion and would prefer to see the team continue to build around him with a top pick this summer and whatever assets they get back in trades for their other veterans. Unfortunately, it's still not a sure thing that he'll be in New Orleans next season.
Bobby Marks recently went on The Ryen Russillo podcast and issued a correction on his earlier report, stating that he spoke to several executives around the league who confirmed that Zion Williamson's trade stock and market are still impressive, even after another injury-riddled campaign. Every game that he has like the one he put up against the Jazz will only further boon his value in trade talks before the deadline.
The recent tides have suggested that this won't be Zion's last season with the Pelicans, but if Executive Vice President David Griffin receives an offer he can't refuse, these Zion trade rumors won't just be smoke after all.