Things can't get any worse for the New Orleans Pelicans, and they may be ready to turn things around, including moving on from the extremely attractive but injury-prone Zion Williamson.
The Pelicans, who sit at the bottom of the NBA's Western Conference with a dismal 5-22 record, are open to trading for anyone but three players, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer report. About subtackAll-Stars Williamson and Brandon Ingram are available.
“The Pelicans would naturally resist trade offers for young talent like Herb Jones, rookie Yves Missi, and Trey Murphy III, but the Pelicans are essentially willing to trade almost everyone on the roster outside of those three players. It means it’s open.” [5-22] “There were more injuries in the opening game than in Philadelphia,” the report said.
The Pelicans built their roster around Williamson and Ingram, who rarely played as running mates.
Due to various injuries, the pair only appeared in 159 of a possible 499 games.
Williamson, 24, has played in just six games this season due to a hamstring injury.
New Orleans had some success last year with its star forward, as the Pelicans finished with a 49-33 record, their best record since 2008.
Williamson was once considered a generational prospect coming out of Duke, drawing comparisons to No. 1 overall draft pick LeBron James and other star players.
Williamson's promise remained unfulfilled, playing in just 184 of a possible 472 career games.
Williamson is in the second year of a fully guaranteed five-year contract worth $197 million, and is known to be an extremely difficult player to move considering his salary.
After missing out on Williamson in the NBA Draft, the Knicks previously decided to take the third pick rather than one of the top two picks that Williamson and Grizzlies star Ja Morant would ultimately select. It was reported that he was interested. The Knicks ended up taking RJ Barrett at No. 3 and traded him to the Raptors for OG Anunoby last season.
It's highly unlikely the Knicks will be involved here now that they've decided to get into the Karl-Anthony Towns business, but star-seeking teams are still enamored with his potential, perhaps even considering the Lakers or Clippers. There is a possibility that other people may be interested.
New Orleans was expected to trade Williamson to acquire Scoot Henderson from the Trail Blazers ahead of the 2023 NBA Draft, but that did not materialize.
Ingram, 27, is in the final year of his contract and would be an attractive trade candidate if the team is all-in this year, but he will likely be given a significant contract extension this offseason.
Williamson and Ingram have played together in just six games this season. They are 2-4.
