Zion Williamson trade could be on table for Pelicans
The Pelicans’ path ahead is not getting any clearer.
New Orleans, which holds the No. 14 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and an oft-injured, headline-generating star in Zion Williamson, could consider moving the former first-overall pick in a trade to acquire highly-touted prospect Scoot Henderson, Shams Charania reported on FanDuel TV.
Henderson, an explosive 6-foot-2 guard who averaged 16.5 points and 6.8 assists for the G League Ignite last season, is a sought-after commodity around the NBA who is expected to be picked with the second or third selection in the draft.
The Charlotte Hornets, who own the No. 2 pick, hosted Henderson for a pre-draft workout on Sunday and invited Alabama guard Brandon Miller, another rumored top pick, for a workout Tuesday.
To sway with Hornets with an offer, the Pelicans, who view Henderson as a potential franchise guard, may have to “look hard internally” at packaging Williamson in a pre-draft deal, Charania said.
The Pelicans, who finished 42-40 and were eliminated in Game 1 of the play-in tournament by the Oklahoma City Thunder, may be running out of options with their current core of players.
Oft-injured and currently in a scandal involving a porn star, Zion Williamson could be a Pelicans trade candidate. Getty Images
Williamson has posted All-Star stats when on the court. Getty Images
New Orleans acquired CJ McCollum in 2022 as a veteran star to pair with their young duo of Williamson and forward Brandon Ingram, but the trio only played in 10 games together for a combined 172 minutes during the 2022-23 season.
In three seasons with New Orleans, Williamson has only played more than 60 games once and failed to reach the 30-game plateau twice.
After Williamson’s girlfriend Ahkeema revealed she was pregnant with the couple’s child, former porn star Moriah Mills claimed she had sexual relations with the Pelicans star recently.
The last time the Pelicans won a playoff series was in 2018 when Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday led the team to a victory over the Trail Blazers.
Scoot Henderson is a projected top-3 NBA Draft pick. NBAE via Getty Images
Williamson, who is still just 22 years old, has averaged 25.8 points and seven rebounds on 60% shooting over his three years in the NBA.
Source: New York Post
