NBA
NBA insiders don’t rule out the New Orleans Pelicans potentially moving Zion Williamson this offseason
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated13 Jun 2023
Reports around the league yesterday told us that the New Orleans Pelicans want to move up to the #2 or #3 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. NBA insider Shams Charania said that the Pelicans want to make a trade-up to select PG Scoot Henderson. However, Charnaia is not ruling out New Orleans being open to moving Zion Williamson this offseason.
Back in the 2019 NBA Draft, Williamson was selected first overall by the New Orleans Pelicans. He was thought to be one of the league’s next greatest superstars. Willaimson has been far from that in his time as a pro. Injuries have derailed the start of his career and he’s been fighting an uphill battle since entering the league.
The Hornets hold the #2 overall pick and the Portland Trail Blazers have the #3 overall pick. Currently, the Pelicans have the 14th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Scoot Henderson is not going to be available that late. He’s a top-three pick in the draft.
“I’m told [The Pelicans] are going after Scoot Henderson… Do the Pelicans look hard internally of moving Zion Williamson?” 👀@ShamsCharania on #Pelicans looking to trade up to draft Scoot Henderson#RunItBack with @MichelleDBeadle @ChandlerParsons & @bansky pic.twitter.com/spGBgFR32d
— FanDuel TV (@FanDuelTV) June 13, 2023
Is Zion Williamson on the chopping block for the Pelicans this off-season?
In four seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, Zion Williamson has played in only 114 career games. In two of his three seasons, he’s played less than 30 games. Williamson also missed the entire 2021-22 season due to a foot injury. The two-time all-star has been far from reliable for the Pelicans.
You can’t blame New Orleans if they do in fact want to move on from Williamson. They expected him to be so much more than he has been for their franchise. Injuries have decimated his career and he could be one of the biggest busts in sports history.
This is all just speculation from Shams Charania. However, what he says makes complete sense. Williamson has been a huge disappointment for the Pelicans and they may be ready to move on. Moving up to #2 or #3 in the draft gives them a chance to draft another top pick that can hopefully live up to the hype. The 2023 NBA Draft is next Thursday, June 22.
