The NBA regular season is about 20% done for most teams. It’s a small sample size, but also a large enough one for some teams to realize that competing this year just isn’t going to be in the cards for them. What they do with that realization is the interesting part. Some will try to fight back, some will pivot to a full-on tank, and some will look to make wholesale roster changes.
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One team that isn’t going to be in the playoff mix is the New Orleans Pelicans. At just 2-13 and looking up at a stacked Western Conference, the Pels’ situation this year is about as hopeless as it gets.
Even worse, it’s unclear how the current roster is going to compete in years to come, and they can’t even tank to improve their draft position since trading their first-round pick away in order to move up and take Derik Queen in June.
It’s been bandied about for years, but this season might be the final straw that leads to Zion Williamson getting traded. Chris Mannix and Rachel Nichols discussed that possibility on the latest episode of their Open Floor podcast, and as usual, they approached the question with a level of thoughtfulness and nuance that basketball fans don’t always get from other programs.
“You don’t have your pick this year,” Nichols said. “Is there something you could do to get a pick in this transcendent draft back, and is it time to trade Zion Williamson?”
She’s referring to a loaded draft class that includes BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa, Duke freshman Cameron Boozer, Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson and UNC freshman Caleb Wilson, among others.
Zion was once the most hyped prospect in years, but injuries and a general lack of fitness have kept him from ever coming close to reaching his ceiling with the Pelicans. His value is nowhere near what it once was, so Mannix was dubious on what trading him would do.
“What does Zion get you right now?” he asked. “For the third time in four years, he is dealing with a major injury … He has played 30 games or less in two of the last three years … I just don’t know what the value for Zion is right in this moment. Like would Utah give up their unprotected first-round pick in this year’s draft to get Zion Williamson?” Mannix explained.
Zion returned from his hamstring strain last night after missing eight games, and though he had a quiet game by his standards, it was good to see him back on the court. The trade deadline isn’t until February, so he’ll have to put together a healthy stretch before then if the Pelicans hope to get anything of value in return for him.
“I think if you can sell someone on giving you their first-round pick in this draft, and it is above 15,” Nichols said, before Mannix expressed that he wouldn’t be so quick to do that if he was the Pelicans, because he still believes Zion can figure it out and be an impact guy.
He also took the Pels to task for not having the foresight to keep their pick for what everyone expects to be a talent-rich draft, especially one where they look like a lock to snag a high pick.
Nichols didn’t disagree that Zion could still find his way, but she made a compelling case that the Pelicans shouldn’t wait around forever for him to do it. “It’s not working for you,” Nichols said of the Pelicans.
“I compare sometimes with NBA teams’ trades with buying a house, because I think there’s a lot of similarities. You just need one buyer, that sort of thing. You can have a house that’s a great house, it just doesn’t work for you or your family, right?” she tried to explain.
Nichols suggested that this is there point where the Pelicans have to evaluate where Zion Williamson fit into their plans. “We have a large sample size at this point, and the truth is, he has not been able to in New Orleans,” she went on before rattling off his fitness concerns, the owner situation, etc.
“And Zion Williamson, after a long trial period, it’s not working. So even if he goes off and is a great “apartment” for someone else, the truth is, you know by now, it’s not working for you,” the NBA analyst suggested.
The Pelicans have to like what they’ve seen out of Queen and fellow first-round pick Jeremiah Fears so far. Queen dropped 30 with a full stat line against the Nuggets last night, while Fears is averaging over 15 points per game.
If the Nuggets can trade Zion for a chance at another top prospect in next year’s draft, it could give them a fresh start and a brighter future. At the very least, it will get them out of the waiting game of wondering if things will ever click for their former No. 1 pick.
