Zion Williamson faces an uncertain future with the New Orleans Pelicans, and that isn’t lost on the former top pick.
Williamson is in the midst of his seventh season in New Orleans, and while there have been some incredible highlights, he has yet to play in a single postseason game with the Pelicans.
Zion Williamson thinks he could be traded by Pelicans over offseason
While he’s been largely healthy this season, injury issues have hampered Williamson throughout his tenure in New Orleans, and that could make the organization hesitant to continue to commit to him moving forward.
Williamson will be eligible for an extension over the offseason, but the Pelicans could also try to trade the star forward and recoup some value, as opposed to doubling down on him as a face of the franchise.
The Duke product would prefer to remain in New Orleans, but he isn’t naïve to the business side of basketball.
“New Orleans is home for me. It’s where I want to be,” Williamson said, via Yahoo Sports. “But at the end of the day, if we’re going to be realistic about it, the NBA is a business. I could be traded in the offseason, or I could be traded before [next season’s] trade deadline.”
“Not that I want that to happen,” he added. “But that’s just the realism of it.”
It remains to be seen if the Pelicans will actually try to trade Williamson, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility. It could ultimately come down to what type of return they could get for the 25-year old two-time All-Star.
Williamson still has two years remaining on his current contract, so technically the Pelicans don’t have to trade or extend him this year. They could always delay the decision to the following offseason.
With the start of the offseason right around the corner for the Pelicans, Williamson’s future with the franchise will continue to be a storyline to monitor.
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