The tricky situation of Zion Williamson with the New Orleans Pelicans

Zion Williamson is slowly becoming one of the most disappointing number 1 picks in recent league history. The New Orleans Pelicans power forward is going through another injury-plagued season, having only played in six games so far before injuring his hamstrings.

What makes Williamson's case even more frustrating, besides the fact that he never shows up in great physical shape for training camp, is that when healthy, he is extremely productive. Let's not forget that at one point, Williamson was the highest scorer under 21 in league history in points per game.

He is now injured and potentially under contract until the 2027-28 season, where he will be owed a whopping $44.9 million. Although there are intricate weight-related stipulations in his contract, it's unclear what Williamson's price would be if the Pelicans decide to shop him.

An Eastern executive described Williamson's trade value as the toughest question to answer in the NBA right now. "It's really hard to see anyone paying a ton for him at the moment, but there's a very limited number of players in the league when healthy who are at or near franchise-player level," said the Eastern executive. "The only way to win at the highest level is to have a guy who can do the kind of things he can do when he's healthy. I'd probably do something stupid to get him if I were the one making the decisions."

Words from another Eastern Conference executive

Another general manager said that while acquiring Williamson would be a risk, players with worse prior production or uglier contract situations have been traded before, and he believes some team would take the gamble on the former Duke player.

Williamson's contract stipulations led an Eastern Conference executive to say that his contract, costly as it is, is one of the best in the NBA.

New Orleans paid Williamson as a franchise player but included language that protected the franchise if Williamson missed more than 22 games in the 2022-23 or 2023-24 seasons. He missed 53 in 2022-23, meaning Williamson's salaries for the remaining three seasons (38.9 million in 2025-26, 41.5 million in 2026-27, and 44.2 million in 2027-28) are not guaranteed. "It's one of the best contracts in the NBA," said an Eastern Conference executive to ESPN. "But looking back, it's hard to argue that any team would've guaranteed Zion $197 million without conditions in the extension."

Could Williamson be a surprise trade candidate this year? It's starting to seem more possible as the Pelicans struggle through the season. New Orleans currently holds a negative record of 7-29.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La peliaguda situación de Zion Williamson con los New Orleans Pelicans