Since Zion Williamson suffered a new injury on January 1, he’s been making headlines for the wrong reasons. That potential felt lost, as he promised throughout the latter half of the regular season that he would return to help the Pelicans fight for a spot in the playoffs, but he never quite recovered.
In the last couple of days, he went viral on social media after his girlfriend announced she was having a baby girl on the way to heartbreak when adult film actress Maurya Mills posted that she had been having sexual relations with him the week before.
This situation has made the future of the Pelicans even more uncertain as they head into summer with many more questions than answers. For example, is Zion the player they need to succeed in the next campaign?
After coming off such a disappointing season that they missed out on the Play-In Tournament, New Orleans won the No. 14 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft. According to sources, they are looking to grab a top three pick but have not yet decided what trade package they should offer in return.
This Wednesday, NBA insider Brian Windhorst appeared on ESPN’s “Get Up” and noted that opposing executives are watching the situation behind Williamson, as the Pelicans have begun to consider the possibility of him using him as commercial bait for bigger fish.
“The Pelicans had some quick discussions from what I was told,” said Windhorst. “No offers have necessarily been made yet, but it makes you not jump too far to wonder…and the league is definitely wondering if the Pelicans will really save Zion Williamson for the first time before next week’s draft.”
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, New Orleans is on the way to buying Scoot Henderson, and they’ll need the former first overall pick in a deal to complete the deal.
Henderson is also expected to come to Charlotte, the Louisiana club may have to “seriously consider internally” packaging Williamson in an upfront deal, Charania confirmed on “FanDuel TV.”
An NBA insider claims the Pelicans would prefer to trade Zion first over Brandon Ingram
Well-regarded reporter Mark Stein had much to share in his opinion about the possibility of New Orleans staying with Williamson or looking for a new star.
“I heard this week from a discerning and convinced observer that the Pelicans would actually consider getting rid of Williamson if it meant they could draft Henderson,” he said, noting the high level of discontent within the organization regarding Williamson’s ongoing availability issues and general approach, he wrote in his recent newsletter. “My reading, at this point, is that pelicans are less inclined to consider trading Brandon Ingram in the same scenario.”
The real problem is that Ingram has also suffered from many injuries in the past, having only played in 62+ games once in his career and that was during his first year as a pro. After four campaigns in Louisiana, Brandon has played in 62, 61, 55 and 45 contests per season.
As for Williamson, we don’t yet understand if he’s finally fit to return to the court or if he’s still undergoing rehabilitation.