After enduring persistent injury setbacks since being selected No. 1 in the 2019 NBA Draft, New Orleans Pelicans star forward Zion Williamson may need a fresh start. According to Bleacher Report’s Connor Thoms, a rebuilding Eastern Conference team looking to end its league-worst nine-year playoff drought should roll the dice on the two-time All-Star.
When healthy, Williamson has proven to be one of the NBA’s most electric, high-flying players, using his explosiveness and agility to score at will around the rim. However, lower-body injuries have consistently hampered the 25-year-old, who has appeared in more than 30 games in a season only twice over the last six years.
With Williamson having yet to make his first postseason appearance, pressure is escalating for him to live up to expectations. Meanwhile, New Orleans has left the door open for him to be moved.
Exploring a Potential Zion Williamson Trade to the Hornets
On July 16, Bleacher Report’s “NBA Show” proposed “Wild NBA Trade Ideas” that could shake up the league. Among the more feasible scenarios was New Orleans sending Williamson to the Charlotte Hornets, who last made the playoffs in 2016.
“Zion to the Hornets, this has been something that I’ve felt like makes sense for a little while now. The Hornets feel like a team that is ready to try and be more competitive, that might be willing to take a chance on a Zion Williamson,” Thoms said (timestamp: 12:09).
Thoms’ proposed deal involves the Hornets parting with starting forward Miles Bridges, salary filler, and first-round draft capital to upgrade their four-spot.
“You give up Miles Bridges, Grant Williams, Nick Smith Jr. and two first-round picks, one of them is protected, so you’re not giving up all that much in terms of overall draft capital because Zion is injury-prone,” Thoms said.
According to Thoms, such a move could position the LaMelo Ball-led franchise among the NBA’s most exciting young teams at full strength.
“You have him next to LaMelo Ball, I think that’d be really fun. Brandon Miller is still there. They bring in Kon Knueppel as a really good connecting piece, another Duke guy to play next to Zion,” Thoms said.
“It is kind of fun, and I think there’s a world where if you can keep these guys on the court — which is the big what-if with the Hornets — whether or not you bring in Zion, if the Hornets want to do anything, they’ve gotta actually keep guys healthy, and it’s hard for them to do that at this point. But LaMelo, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Zion, Mason Plumlee is a really fun grouping.”
Williamson Trade Presents Major Risk for Injury-Plagued Hornets
While Williamson is reportedly no longer “untouchable,” Charlotte, which has dealt with extensive health woes of its own, may be unwilling to gamble on the 6’6″ forward.
As Thoms alluded to, the Hornets’ top two young players, Ball (ankle) and Miller (wrist), played in only 47 and 27 outings, respectively, this past season. Moreover, Ball has appeared in 51 or fewer contests in four of his first five campaigns.
Thus, despite the tantalizing upside of a Williamson-Ball pairing, adding another high-risk player into the mix following a 19-win season may not be the wisest course of action.
