We love the smell of trade rumors in the morning. This week, the major rumor has concerned the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans currently hold the 14th pick in the draft. However, the rumor mill has them pushing to move as high as #2 in a bid to draft Scoot Henderson. These rumors blew up earlier today when Brian Windhorst suggested that teams are waiting to see if the Pelicans would be willing to make Zion Williamson available as part of a potential trade.
“I think it’s fair to say, based on my conversations, there’s an eye being kept towards whether the Pelicans would make Zion Williamson available ahead of trying to get into that top end of the draft," Windhorst said. Williamson is an elite player when he’s on the floor. However, he has missed 214 games since he was drafted. That’s equivalent to 65.2% of all Pelicans games since his rookie season. Furthermore, the increasingly scandalous reports surrounding his personal life are likely to make a number of execs question whether he’s the sort of influence they want on the team. But there's one person who is strongly opposed to these rumors.
JJ Reddick Wants Zion To Stay In New Orleans
Speaking on First Take, JJ Redick laid out why the Pelicans shouldn't trade Zion. "[The Pelicans] are not that far away with a healthy Zion. He's that good. ... I think he's a generational talent when he's on the basketball court. ... If he's in shape, I'm not moving him." The 2022-23 campaign marked the Pelicans' first winning season since 2018. However, most of the 42-40 record was done without Zion on the floor. Williamson played in just 29 games before succumbing to injury. However, before his injury, the Pelicans were second in the Western Conference. The issue is, will Williamson ever be able to stay healthy? In his four seasons in the league, he has only played more than 30 games in one of them. As previously mentioned, he has missed 65% of the team's games since he was drafted.
However, could that be a blessing in disguise? The Portland Trail Blazers hold the third overall pick and have made it very clear that they are willing to trade if it means building a title contender for Damian Lillard next season. Zion Williamson would likely be a great piece to add to that team. However, would they be willing to pull the trigger given his injury history? That is to say, Zion's injury history could be the thing that keeps him in New Orleans and thus keeps the Pelicans a contender. But what do you think? Let us know in the comments. Follow all the latest sports news here at HotNewHipHop.
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