Zion admits trade risk
Zion Williamson said he wants to stay with the Pelicans but acknowledged “I could be traded,” putting his offseason future squarely on the table — comments that add heat to a likely summer of roster moves for New Orleans (bleacherreport.com) (dallashoopsjournal.com).
Williamson carries a five-year, $197.23 million designated rookie-extension with a $39.446 million cap hit for 2025–26 and projected salaries of roughly $42.16 million in 2026–27 and $44.9 million in 2027–28. (spotrac.com) This season he’s averaged roughly 21 points, 5–6 rebounds and about 3 assists across close to 60 games while logging one of his longest consecutive-games stretches, a sign of improved availability after prior injury absences. (totalprosports.com) League reporting shows concrete trade traction: the Chicago Bulls have “had ongoing talks” with New Orleans about packages involving Williamson, though some Pelicans reports say the team told other clubs it wouldn’t trade him while chatter around other Pelicans pieces gained momentum. (chicago.suntimes.com) New Orleans owns multiple future first‑round assets and a pick‑swap tied to Milwaukee — plus a string of 2027–2032 first‑round rights — giving the front office tradable draft capital if it chooses to move a star. (basketball.realgm.com) The Pelicans’ accounting picture matters: the team guaranteed Williamson’s roughly $39.4M 2025–26 salary by the July guarantee deadline, and those multi‑year figures are central to how teams price any trade. (basketballinsiders.org) Most outlets expect any blockbuster involving Williamson to unfold in the June draft/July free‑agency window rather than as a sudden deadline deal, and multiple analysts have labeled New Orleans a potential seller this coming offseason. (bleacherreport.com)
