Zion Williamson's Season Could Push Pelicans Toward Trade Talks If Struggles Continue

All eyes are on Zion Williamson again, with the New Orleans Pelicans out of the NBA playoff race. With a 25-51 win-loss record and only nine regular season games to go, it is mathematically impossible for the Pels to catch up. Hence, all the team can do right now is plan for next season to figure out what went wrong in their 2025-26 campaign.

Part of those plans is likely to include Williamson. While trading the Duke product appears unlikely, the focus would be on the supporting cast Zion has to work with. The two-time All-Star believes the team had a trying season with a roster riddled by player injuries and new faces in a report by Talkbasket.net.

'I feel like we had some growing pains at the beginning of the year because we were trying to maximize everybody. We had some first-year guys, some new guys to the team, guys returning from injury,' Williamson stated.

Despite those obstacles, Williamson felt that the team made big strides after the All-Star break.

'I feel like since everybody's returned from injuries or stuff like that, post All-Star break, I would say we've been doing very well with realizing that any night can be any guy's night,' the 6-foot-6 player added.

Injuries and Chemistry Issues

Looking at the performance of multiple Pelicans players, there is no question that most have tried to do what they can. Trey Murphy III, Saddiq Bey and Dejounte Murray have put up decent numbers to provide Williamson support.

Zion has been an explosive scorer, a player who gets most of his buckets from inside the paint. It explains why he owns a career field goal average of 59.8%, converting 9.1 of his 15.2 shot attempts so far.

However, basketball is a game that is not entirely about scoring output. Rebounding, assists and defence are equally essential. Williamson has been doing his share this season with averages of 5.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 59 games. But with expectations high on the burly player, Zion needs to do more if he is to join the elite cast of recognised superstars in the NBA.

Williamson is only 25 years old and arguably has more years ahead of him. However, this early on, one issue hounding the North Carolina native is his health. Since joining the league in 2019, the most regular season games he has played was during the 2023-24 season, where he appeared in 70 games.

That was the season where Zion came close to making his first playoff appearance. Unfortunately, a leg injury in the Pelicans' 110-106 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers cut the season of the 6-foot-6 player short, per a report by ESPN. He suffered a leg injury, and his absence told heavily on New Orleans.

Pelicans Face Roster Questions Beyond Zion

Given his injury history, the Pelicans need to find someone who can level up or at least provide the same numbers that Williamson is giving on a consistent basis. If the players from the current season are to be a basis, Bey, Murray and Murphy could do that.

If not, the Pels may want to explore the free agent market this summer. Beyond scoring, the Pelicans' defence leaves a lot to be desired. To back that up, a look at NBA.com shows that the team is the seventh-worst as far as defensive rating, with a 117.5. Moreover, they are the third-worst rebounding team in the league at 67.3%.

Standing only 6-foot-6, it is understandable that Williamson can only do so much to collect rebounds. Hence, the Pelicans may want to look at the big men that may become available.

They don't have to go after big names to address this loophole. There are blue-collar players who give it their all each game, ones who don't prioritise points.

A Williamson trade is unlikely unless the Pelicans are pitched something interesting in exchange. But if Zion's injury history is to be used as leverage, New Orleans is unlikely to get a good deal since any NBA team that may initiate a trade will likely offer players of lesser calibre.